


Roses on Her Skin

by Dunkinmunchkin



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action & Romance, Bodyguard, Crimes & Criminals, Eventual Smut, F/F, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, Lesbian Romance, Original Character(s), Smut, all my favorite tropes lol, little tiny bit of violence, recreational drug use (not graphic), slowish burn, strangers to rivals to friends to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:41:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28858284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunkinmunchkin/pseuds/Dunkinmunchkin
Summary: When Lilith gets demoted from her high ranking position in one of the most dangerous drug trafficking rings in the country, she is forced to take the job of protecting her bosses two daughters from harm. While she thinks this will be the most boring job imaginable, she soon realizes that the girls can only be described as a "menace to society." Wild and carefree, Esther and Mellie soon warm up to Lilith. Lilith finds herself falling for the oldest daughter, who may or may not see her as more than a friend. What will happen when others interfere, trying to take the company's power?Forbidden love, badass women, life of crime, and lesbians, what more could you ask for?This is my first work, so be mean if it sucks! Thanks
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all. I don't know what I'm doing. If anyone reads this at all I will be happy so... :)  
> Also not edited, we submit without proofreading here. (I promise its not a mess though, really)

Today was not Lilith's day. Yesterday wasn't either, and the foreseeable future wasn't looking too bright. She was sitting in her bosses office, wanting to be just about anywhere else. It wasn't that she was in any particular trouble with her boss. He was in general, a pretty good boss, and was very understanding of his employees "mishaps," but this was pushing it, even for her. Mr. Goldmann was prattling on about how she needed to "be more careful" and how "she was gonna get herself into more serious trouble soon" and her favorite, "menace to society" was also tossed around. She didn't see how it was her fault that things went poorly, when HE was the one who sent her on these missions.

She was not listening, not one little bit, but instead gazing around the room at his very weird office. It wasn't weird like clown paintings and neon yellow ceilings, it looked like any old office. It didn't have anything missing, it had a fancy chair that he sat straight-backed upon, and a slightly less fancy chair, which she lounged back on. It also had a big, fancy, dark wooden desk, definitely an antique and probably cost more than most families mortgages, and she had her grimy, dark Doc. Martins propped up on the top. She knew she was probably the only one around that could get away with something like that, save maybe his daughters. Well, was, she wasn't sure where she stood on his list-of-employees-he-wanted-alive. Anyway, the office was weird because on almost every flat surface big enough to hold a picture frame, he had pictures of his daughters. Vacations, birthday parties, and Hanukkah cards scattered the room, and Lilith couldn't help but gaze at the smiling faces of his girls. She knew he doted on them, but it had always confused her as to why someone so powerful would have pictures of people he cared about in his office. It seemed to Lilith that she would want to keep those far away from prying eyes. Once, she had asked about them, when she was in Mr. Goldmann's office for praise instead of her impending doom, and his answer had sent a chill down her spine, the kind when a little tiny bit of pee comes out. "I have the pictures up because everyone who enters this room is either a trusted ally, or doesn't leave alive," He had said, "Choose who you want to be wisely." Lilith had not forgotten it. 

"Lilith, I know you aren't listening to me."

Fuck. she was caught. Not that she was trying to hide her boredom in any way. It wasn't any use to try to feign any sort of cool, but it made her feel better. She sat up in her seat more, and begrudgingly pulled her feet off his desk.

"You know how this game is played Lilith. They're on to you now. I don't know what you think you're going to do to get out of this one, but I have some ideas."

Lilith thought back to the incident a few days prior. She had never pictured herself growing up into the profession, but she guessed years of hockey and martial arts made a person more violent. She really could have been more careful. While she was regarded as one of the best assassins in the business, she was not always the most humble with that fact, and usually that meant she was a little careless about who saw what she did. She still didn't know why it was such a big deal, I mean, you let one guy live, and suddenly you're the bad guy?

"If it was anyone else, Vincent's boys, the Germans, even cops, but the Romans? If they realizes what we're trying to do here, this will start an even bigger problem than we already have with them. Please tell me you understand that."

"I know-"

"No you don't know," He said, raising his voice, "I have people I have to protect, and I can't do that if she knows where we are and what we're doing. You need to stop being carless, and you need to get out of the limelight."

Lilith did not like the idea of that at all. She knew there were some pretty shitty jobs to do around here, and she had no desire to be disposing bodies or selling weed to teenagers. He could always fire her, but she didn't love the sound of that either. If she was fired, she would have to find another "place of work" and she figured they probably wouldn't hire someone who had killed some of their men. She figured he could just shoot her, get it over with. She felt like she would be ready for that if it came down to it, but Mr. Goldmann looked like he was about to continue, so she kept quiet.

"You're a good kid, Lilith, I've always thought so. In the wrong business for sure. So I've decided to give you a bit of a break, to lay low for a while."

Lilith was not expecting that. Good kid? She killed people for a living, not exactly the definition of good kid she had. And a break? As in, go to the beach and turn your phone off for a weekend break? This was bad. She had been working almost nonstop for the last decade or so, and was not prepared in the slightest to start "taking breaks" like someone who couldn't get through a ballet class. Her look of shock must have been evident because as soon as she was about to answer, he put his hand up.

"I don't mean, no work for you until this gets cleared up, I know you wouldn't do well in quarantine. I actually have another, much more important job for you." He said, smirking at the woman. She leaned forward, eager to get a new mission and to put this behind her. Maybe it would be far away, or underground, or a top secret infiltration that no one else knew about. Much to her chagrin, it turned out to be none of those things. Mr. Goldmann carefully picked up one of the many framed photos of his two lovely daughters he had on his desk, and turned it to Lilith.

The picture must have been fairly recent, maybe from the last summer. The two were on a beach somewhere, with crystal-clear, blue water behind them and pristine white sand. They were looking at each other and laughing like they were in on the same joke, and no one else could possibly understand how funny it was. Lilith leaned in to look. It had been a while since she had seen the girls, and they looked much older in the photo. Her eyes lingered on the older of the two, and she couldn't help but stare at her freckled skin and pale pink curls. She was only sixteen or seventeen the last time she had seen her, and Lilith had only been a year or two older, and it looked like many years had passed since then. She couldn't quite remember how long ago it was, just like she couldn't quite remember either of their names.

"My sweet daughters are living in Savannah now, with Phineas. He's been taking care of them for a while now, but I fear they may need... extra supervision." Lilith was not one hundred precent sure what that meant, but the look of sadness on his face from being so far away from them, all the way in New York, made her hold her tongue.

"I would like you to go down there and help him with them. A bodyguard-type job. Esther is an adult now," So that's what her name was, "but she still needs protecting, if not supervision. Melanie is just fourteen, and I have no doubts that they will keep you busy."

Lilith could not believe this. She was going from the most feared killer on the east cost, to a glorified babysitter? This could not be happening.

"Sir, I- I don't know what to say. Not to be conceited, but I'm the best you've got! I mean, really, taking care of children? Can't Phineas handle them on his own?" She slipped back into her chair after her outburst, deflated. She had never yelled at her boss before, but she felt like it was the only way to get her point across. Phineas was a grown man who had raised his own children, surely he could take care of two young women? Mr. Goldmann did not even blink at her outburst. He merely shook his head and smirked.

"I'm sure you will end up enjoying yourself far more than you think. You leave tomorrow, better pack up."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically I have the first 8 or so chapters sort of done, I'm trying to add more to them. I'll try to post them soon though if anyone's reading lol.

Lilith had been in a sour mood since her boss sent her away. She had stormed back to her apartment, and pulled her dingy old duffle bag out of the back of her closet. She turned back to her measly wardrobe to start shoving clothing in. Most of her clothing was dark, both because it was much easier to get stains from her job out, and because it made her feel cool, a very important factor she believed. She sat on her bedroom floor, angrily throwing her clothes and few belongings into her bag. Lilith contemplated calling her sister to tell her she was leaving, but decided not to on account of her safety. It wouldn’t matter anyway, it wasn't like they saw each other often. Lilith shook off her guilt from neglecting her family and continued packing.

Now, she was in the back of a taxi (she didn't realize those still existed) and was on her way to her new home for the foreseeable future. Her boss had lied. It was not in Savannah. The house and Savannah weren't even cousins. The house was outside of Savannah in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. She had just been demoted from her dream job, she woke up late and almost missed the plane, and it was raining. She could not picture a more bleak outcome for her career.

"I think we're pulling up to the house now," The driver started, "Is there a code to get it the gate or something?" Lilith perked up a little at the thought of finally being there, and looked out the window. They were approaching what looked like a gate that had not been used since the Civil War. The thing was ancient, and she did not believe that the button on her key ring from Mr. Goldmann would open it, she didn't really believe that it would open at all. The driver cleared his throat and she jumped, quickly hitting the button. With a bone chilling CREEECHHHH the gate slowly swung open. The driver rolled his eyes as they continued down the winding path.

After what felt like days, Lilith was brought back to reality when they made a rather sharp turn, and were met with a house straight out of Pride and Prejudice (The BBC miniseries not the 2005 version.) The gardens around it were overgrown, but not in a dilapidated way. It was beautiful, but in a way that screamed, “We don't have a gardener.” Lilith thought it looked more like a whimsical fairy garden than any house she would be living in. She shook her head. Whimsical fairy garden? What kind of bullshit is that? This job is already making me soft.

The driver pulled up to the front, and popped the trunk for her. She hastily handed him a wad of cash and jumped out in the rain. Running around to the back, she started grabbing her things as quickly as she could, and dragging them up to the front of the house. She had texted Phineas on the drive over, and as she made it to the front steps, he came outside to greet her.

"Hello old friend, how has the sea fared?"

Phineas Bordelon was an older man, who's own sons had already grown up and left the nest. He was greying a little, but it didn't make him any less of a presence. His tall, strong build silhouetted against the light of the doorway. After an unfortunate accident involving ketamine and a sailboat that left him with the prosthetic hidden under his jeans, had volunteered to take care of the girls when Mr. Goldmann decided it was not safe enough for them in New York. He was getting old, he said, to still be making deals and selling illegal substances, but he would protect the Goldmann girls with his life. He and Mr. Goldmann had been friends since college, and had known the girls since they were small. She smiled up at him as he greeted her, glad to see someone who was familiar. He had looked after her in her first few years working for Mr. Goldmann, and she was always happy to see him. She was not looking forward to meeting the few people who worked in the house and on the grounds, and she was especially not keen on meeting her boss's children.

As she got to the top of the steps, he hugged her, and she let him. He grabbed one of her bags and they made their way inside, out of the rain.

"So tell me Pumpkin,” Lilith narrowed her eyes at the nickname she knew that he knew she hated, “How does a girl like you wind up in a place like this?" Phineas joked, and gestured around the kitchen. Lilith sat at the island, and Phineas pottered around, pulling the ingredients to make her a cup of hot cocoa after being in the rain. She thought it was a little childish, and she couldn't remember the last time she’d had it, but she was not about to turn down his form of fatherly affection.

"Well, the story is not for the faint of heart," she started, smirking, "it involves deceit, murder, and a major career downgrade." It was obvious that she was still pissed about her relocation, but Phineas just laughed and handed her her mug.

"They really aren't all that bad once you get to know them you know." He said, looking out the window over the sink out into the backyard. Lilith glanced out, trying to see what he was looking at, but was met with heavy rain and similar dense flowers and bushes like the front yard.

"How about this, you finish up your drink, and then we can go see them. You look like you could use a warm drink to calm you down before we go back out in the rain."

Lilith knocked her mug back, barely tasting any of it, before dropping it into the sink and looking at the man in front of her.

"Back out into the rain?"

Esther and Melanie Goldmann were usually considered a few things by the general public. They were uncommonly pretty and unique looking, they were always happy and smiling, and they were some of the most rambunctious ladies around. They never get invited to any balls if they lived in the same era as the Darcys and the Bennets, a fact that Phineas brought up after making a scene. Mellie was the younger daughter, loud and funny and had no problem speaking her mind. Nothing made her happier than creating schemes and causing scenes. She was an instigator to be sure, but it was Esther who was the real mastermind behind all of their gimmicks. She prided herself on her cleverness and ability to outsmart, in her words, "any and all men." They were kooky and silly, and they were both very excited to freak out the new woman who was supposed to take care of them.

Even though Mellie was fourteen, and her sister was nearing her twenty first birthday, they were very close. After years of being alone together, not even Esther’s college career kept them apart. They enjoyed each other's company, and liked to be together. Like now, for example, they were out in the back gardens. Because of the nature of growing lush and beautiful flowers and plants, there was a lot of dirt there, and not a lot of path. And because of the nature of many inches of rain, it had quickly turned to puddles and mud. What were the two supposed to do if not loudly blast Queen and dance in the rain?

Esther was having the time of her life out there. She was sure Mellie was too, but in the nature of older siblings, "making sure your little sister is having fun" was not her top priority. She loved dancing, and she loved the rain, and she especially loved when she could do both and also get covered in mud up to her thighs , even though she didn't sink in past her ankles. The two of them were soaking wet, barefoot, and did not hear an older man and a young woman step out into the rain to greet them over their loud and off-key rendition of under pressure.

Mellie noticed first, and shouted to her sister.

"Esther, looks like we have company!" She taunted. It was abundantly clear that they were not about to sit down and have a formal conversation. In the state they were in, they probably looked like they had never had a formal conversation in their lives. Esther spun around where she stood, eager to see the woman again. It had been many years since she had spoken to her last, and Esther was just a silly kid who had a teeny weenie crush on the cool older girl who got to do what she desperately wished she could.

The only thing Lilith could think of at that moment was that all the pictures in her father's office did her no justice. The rain fell around her and made her look like she was sparkling, and her smiling demeanor and petite frame made her look like a fairy. Lilith knew she needed to stop. This was not a good idea, this was not a good plan, and she was going to get herself into trouble if she wasn't careful. Being reckless was what got her into this mess in the first place. Come on Lilith, you repressed your gay feelings for most of your life, how hard can it be to go back?

Luckily, Esther didn't seem to notice the woman's inner monologue, and quickly skipped over to introduce herself. Unluckily, Mellie did. She was no stranger to men and women alike looking at her sister like she hung the moon, whether for her fortune, beauty, or what Esther called, her “rockin’ ass,” but having a strange woman that they were expected to live and get along with was new. Still, she was glad to have some information on the woman that could be used in her plot later. She tucked it away and ran off after her sister.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Should I do summaries of chapters?" I ask the two people who have read this

Lilith was always one to control her feelings. It was her job, and she seldom let anything other than pride get in her way. She very swiftly pocketed her emotions and whatever this fairy shit was, and walked out on to the porch to speak with the girls. 

Mr. Goldmann had strategically kept the information about others coming before her at bay. There was no need to tell Lilith about the many dozens of trained fighters, teachers, and babysitters that had been sent to the south to help his children, and who had been subsequently run out of the place by Esther and Lilith. He somehow had failed to mention that Phineas was the only person they had allowed to stay and watch over them, a fact Lilith was very quickly going to discover. 

They were in a standoff that could put any western in its place. Phineas waited for the girls to give their usual backhanded remarks to newcomers their father sent, Lilith was trying to keep up her stoic demeanor to give herself an heir of superiority and try to gain some respect, and Mellie was about to pee herself from trying not to laugh at the events that were taking place. In the end, it was Esther who broke the silence. Well, it was Mellie, but it was Esther's doing. She stepped up to the taller blonde, took her hand, and gave a deep, dramatic, ridiculous curtsey to her. It was very clearly meant to show that she was not about to take part in her fathers new schemes, and it sent the younger girl into a fit of giggles. It also made Lilith blush far harder than she would have liked, and she hopped it went unnoticed. It did not. 

The young girl finally settled down a little, after a stern look from Phineas, and also gave Lilith an over exaggerated bow. 

"How do you do, my lady?" Mellie said in what may have been the worst British accent Lilith had ever heard. It sent both girls into another laughing fit, clutching each other's arms and bending over, wheezing. They both laughed very, very loud. Lilith felt a headache coming on. She was not a fan of loud sounds, and she did not like how this day continued to get worse by the minute.  
"That's enough, you two, stop causing trouble and introduce yourselves." Phineas ordered, although it had no real anger behind it. It had taken a long time for the girls to warm up to Phineas- who although they had the utmost respect for now, went through his own batch of problems with them at the beginning- and he knew it would be worse for Lilith. They had known Phineas well before they moved, but Lilith was far more of a stranger to them. 

"I'm Melanie, but that's Miss Goldmann to you."

Phineas gave her a stern look and the young girl rolled her eyes.

"You can call me Mellie if you like." She said, looking down and scrunching her face up like she was just forced to apologize for something she didn't do. 

"So what rules did you break to get sent to live with us, or do you have a prosthetic leg under there too?" Esther said, nodding towards Lilith's baggy black cargo pants, that could have been hiding any multitude of weird and dangerous things. 

"I'm sure you remember Esther, charming as always." Phineas said, rolling his eyes and gesturing towards the pretty young woman. Esther smirked, knowing she would be reprimanded for being rude but not entirely caring. She looked at Lilith and winked. A very over exaggerated, not at all sexy wink that should not have affected the older woman in the way it did. Mellie laughed again, and grabbed her sister's arm, tugging towards the door. The two snaked between the older pair, and ran off into the house. Whatever feelings Lilith had conjured toward Esther were quickly diminishing, she believed, she didn't care how pretty she was or how when Esther looked her in the eye, it made her a little sick. She turned to follow them into the house. 

The afternoon was not going as Lilith planned at all. She didn't want to parent Esther or Mellie. In fact, the idea of being any sort of figure to look up to put a sour taste in her mouth. She was a criminal, nothing more, and she prided herself on being a cold-hearted, stoney bitch. All she wanted was for the girls to respect her, and maybe leave her alone to scope out the layout of the grounds, but so far, they had not let her out of their sight. Particularly Mellie, who was now sitting up on her knees on the sofa in the living room, less than a foot from Lilith. 

"Why did you start killing people?" 

She had been asking questions like this for the better part of an hour now, after she found the older woman sitting on the green velvet couch taking her boots off. She had quickly sped over, plopping down right in her personal space bubble, something Lilith did not like others invading, and berating her with questions she guessed Phineas and her father wouldn't answer for her. She rolled her eyes at the girl and turned her body to face her. 

"I liked it." She said, trying to stiffen her answers to get Mellie to stop so she could go do what she felt was real work instead of babysitting. Mellie was not satisfied with many of the answers given, and decided to keep prodding to get more out of her. 

"Obviously you liked it so you kept at it, but how did you start doing it?"

Lilith was getting irritated, and while she didn't want her first impression to be mean to the girl. she was feeling like it may turn out that way. 

"Leave her alone Mellie, no one likes your questions."

Mellie and Lilith both turned to see Esther leaning on the frame of the large archway from the living room to the foyer. She had changed out of her soaking clothes, unlike her sister, and was now sporting crisp white button down pajamas. Lilith tried very hard not to notice how tan her smooth thighs looked against the white as she sat down, cross-legged on the Coffee table in front of them. She winked at Mellie, who was pulling faces at her, and smiled at Lilith. 

"I feel like I should apologize for the way I talked to you earlier. It was very rude of me, and I'm sorry." 

Both Lilith and Mellie were shocked. Mellie actually had her mouth open, and and her sister smirked at her as she continued. 

"Further more, I feel like-" She looked down at her palm and squented as if she was reading tiny notes she had left for herself, and Lilith realized that this was not actually an apology, and instead a drawn way of telling her to fuck off.

"We, as young women in society, should not need a babysitter. I mean, I'm sleeping all the way through the night now, and Mellie can change her diapers all on her own."

If Lilith thought Mellie was laughing loud before, it was a whole new world with her approximately 9 inches from her ear. She had had enough, and hastily got up to get away from the taunting.   
"Lilith, wait, really, I wasn't trying to..." Esther trailed off as she got up to go after the older woman. 

It had been a long time since Lilith had been teased. She knew she probably should have handled it differently, because they now knew how she would react. If she had just kept her cool, or even said something back, they probably wouldn't think she was some hot-headed bitch who couldn't take a joke. Now, they were probably laughing at her outburst, and making plans to pull another stunt. She wasn't really sure why she needed them to think she was cool so badly. It wasn't like their opinions mattered, right? She had stormed up the stairs, and sat at the end of the four-poster bed in her new room. She anxiously ran her hands through the gossamer curtains on the post closest to her, as she thought about her reaction to what was just a harmless joke. Get yourself together, she thought, you do not have room for making a fool of yourself. 

The people Lilith worked with in New York considered her a threat, someone who shouldn't be messed with, so why did these children think they could. She would have to act colder, look prouder, she thought to herself, if she wanted their respect. She could feel herself start to spiral into doubt, a feeling she had not felt since her first few years in her position. She had killed what felt like hundreds of people over the years, she could make grown men quiver with just a look, and she was being pushed around by a teenager and her pretty older sister. 

"Look, that was mean, and I didn't mean for it to come off that way. I was just trying to lighten everything up, it must suck to move so far away from your home."

Lilith jumped at Esther's intrusion, and hadn't realized she had left the door open. Esther walked over to her bed, gingerly sitting herself next to the woman. 

"Everyone my dad has sent before we've quickly run out of here, other than Phineas. I guess- I- It was more fun when I was younger, but being mean doesn't feel as good as it did when I was Mellie's age." Esther said apologetically, and Lilith could hear the sincerity in her voice. She looked over at the girl, only to see that she already had her eyes on her. Esther really was unique looking, right down to her eyes. 

"You have two different colored eyes?" Lilith said, a little surprised. She hadn't noticed until now that while one of her eyes was blue, the other was a Carmely brown. Esther laughed, and it was a much prettier sound than the one her sister had made earlier. She leaned over and squeezed Lilith’s hand, 

“Don't let my sister push you around. She can be a real brat but she's super sweet I promise.”

If Lilith thought she was having a problem earlier, she was done for now. The pink-haired girl’s hand was soft and warm, and all she wanted to do was grab it and pull her back towards her after Esther finally stood up to leave. She turned at the doorway, and whispered so quietly Lilith wasn't sure she didn't make it up, 

“I’m glad you're here.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I do fun chapter titles?? Let me know if you want lol

The next few days went by in a whirl, where Lilith scoped out the grounds, memorized the layout of the house, and ignored every thought about the pretty girl who was invading her brain, not to mention her space. After Esther's real apology, she was constantly asking the assassin what she was doing, where she was going, and if she had heard anything from their father. It was becoming more and more evident that communication with him was lacking. While Lilith had never seen him contact them, she had always imagined they were close from the way he talked about them. It was clear that they did not speak often, and she noticed that he started dwindling his conversation with her as well.

Lilith was currently sitting in her room, looking over some of the weapons she had brought with her. She liked taking them apart and putting them back together again, switching pieces to create her own designs. It made her feel better if he knew what she was working with, down to the smallest pieces. She thought the mixed metals of the different guns made it more unique, and she was all about having her own flair. Lilith worked with her door open, telling herself it was so she didn't feel so closed off to the rest of the world, and in case they needed her in an emergency. In reality, she knew that sooner or later, Esther would come skipping (yes skipping) down the hall every so often, to do what she claimed was "making sure you aren't dying of boredom up here Lilith." Esther was very curious about the newcomer, and wanted to know every aspect about her. She avoided her sister’s way of getting information, cornering her and berating her, and took to spying on her instead.

Esther had come to terms with the fact that they would now have a new member to their little "family," though she didn't expect her to be, to put it eloquently, hot. Esther had no problem thinking another girl was hot. Actually, she quite enjoyed thinking other girls were hot. The problem was this one, specific, unattainable one. Although her affinity for women was not secret, she figured her father would not approve of her hitting on the nanny. This troubled her at first, but she reasoned that if her father had not explicitly said no, he wasn't here to catch her. She could work with that.

Every time Esther passed her door or peeked her head inside, Lilith was running her hand through her choppy blonde locks and staring at the pile of metal pieces on the desk in front of her. She was under the impression she was sneaking around, but sometimes caught the smirk Lilth tried to hide at her spying. Esther couldn't deny that she thought she was intriguing. She liked that the woman seemed to have things figured out, and she thought it was the teeniest bit hot that she was a "bad guy."

This particular visit to her room, Esther decided to venture all the way in, instead of shouting her greetings and questions from the doorway. She walked up behind Lilith and peered over her shoulder at the pile of what looked like junk metal and scribbles on paper.

"Hey your handwriting is almost as bad as mine!"

Despite Lilith noticing every time Esther was within 20 feet of her, hearing the loud girl walk into her room, and certainly feeling her presence so close to her, she still jumped at her loud voice. She turned in her swivel chair to look up at Esther, and she did not anticipate how close together they would be. In her sitting position, their knees were touching, and she was eye level with Esther's sternum. She was trying very hard to keep her eyes above Esther’s sternum in her pretty pink tank top. 

"English isn't my first language, It's prettier in Russian." Lilith answered. Esther smiled and sat down on her desk, gently pushing the metal pieces to the side, and causing Lilith to forget they existed all together. 

"Your last name isn't Russian, you're mother then?" Esther asked. Lilith had no hint of an accent, but her job was keeping in the shadows and hiding her identity. It didn't surprise her that she had managed to change it. Lilith turned back to her and rested her chin in her hand, looking up at her. 

"I spent the first, I don't know, ten years of my life in Russia? My mother and father thought it would best if we moved to the states, we lived in a small village, and they wanted the best for us I guess." Lilith said. She didn't talk about her family or childhood much with her colleagues, but she felt like Esther probably wouldn't spill her secrets to her rivals or anything. Plus, Esther was smiling down at her, and it was hard to say no to her soft grin and the freckles on her cheeks and gap in her front teeth. "Fat lot of good that did me, looking at my career choices." Esther laughed again, and Lilith decided she quite liked being the one to make her laugh. 

"So your handwriting is better in Russian I take it? Or is it the same chicken scratch as all of this." Esther teased, gesturing to the piles of maps and looseleaf that had the same, rambling, messy cursive on them. Lilith smirked, and picked a pen up. She pulled the clearest page towards her, and stated writing. Esther leaned over and watched intently, and Lilith could feel the ends of her pink curls tickle her neck. She tried to use the neatest handwriting she could to try and impress Esther with her sweet words, after all, she couldn't read it anyway. 

Ты очень прекрасна.

"What does it mean?" Esther asked, pointing to the pretty curves in the foreign alphabet.

"It's my name." Lilith said, lamely coming up with an excuse to what she'd actually written. It seemed to satisfy Esther, who nodded and smiled. Lilith stared into Esther's strange eyes, as she looked back at the assassins dark ones.

"There you are, Esther! I've been looking everywhere for you. Phineas is out and I need a ride to dance." Both women jumped, being pulled out of their trance by Mellie, who was impatiently waiting at the door. She was even tapping her foot, trying to get Esther to move faster. 

Esther jumped down from the desk, and ghosted her hand over Lilith's shoulder as she walked to meet her sister. Mellie was out the door and on the way to the car already, but Esther stopped to look back at Lilith, and gave her a quick wink as she slinked out down the hallway. Needless to say Lilith thought about it for a while after they left, the scraps of her toys forgotten. 

When Esther was young, her father decided that, because many of their rivals were Russian criminals, it was important for her to have a basic understanding of their language. Just in case something were to ever happen to her. It had been a long time since her Russian lessons- which she had fought tooth and nail against- and she had never seen the cursive before, but she was just able to make out Lilith's words to her before she was rudely interrupted by her sister. The words had been said to her many times before, but it felt special coming from Lilith, and the way she had hid them from her made her feel like she genuinely believed it. They made her smile all the way to Mellie's dance studio, to the point where Mellie started to tease her about, "spending so much time with their new bodyguard." Even that didn't put a damper on Esther's mood. 

You are very beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Russian criminals, Im not creative lol  
> Also I google translated the Russian so if its wrong sorry


	5. Chapter 5

All things considered, Esther was pretty happy. Not just with their new addition to the house, but all around, life was pretty good. As good as being the daughter of a criminal could be I guess. She'd fought her father to be allowed to leave home and go to college- he did not think it was safe to let her roam around when people knew who she was- but after getting through the four years, she found there wasn’t much to do with her environment degree (AN: self call out here lol) without going farther in school, and was not ready to have another conversation with her father about that. She now spent her days doing whatever she wanted for the most part, cheers to having rich parents, right? The only part of her life she didn't have control of was her future. The main reason she knew her father didn't want her to follow her dreams. As her father's oldest, she was destined to be the next leader, the next tyrant, "Miss Goldmann," if you will. Every so often, her father would call her personally, and they would have long discussions about business, and how the company was run, and how she was to continue his legacy when he could no longer. She thought it was boring as fuck, because it was. Why would any smart young woman with a passion for helping others ever want to be a part of a crime ring? Well she knew her father didn't care for the answer.

She tried not to think about it. First, she didn't like thinking about the circumstances that would put her in power. Her father was not the kind of man to retire, and she feared the only way his reign would end was with blood. While they may not have been close, she knew he cared for them, and she missed the days they still lived in the same city, let alone the same house. Second, she didn't like that her future was planned out for her like that. Sure she enjoyed the luxuries that this business creates, the lavish houses, fancy parties, and expensive clothes, but she would have liked to live like a normal person for once. The silver spoon in her mouth was slowly choking her, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand it. Lastly, deep down, she didn't think she really had it in her to be the cold, cruel boss her father was. She was trained to fight and even kill if necessary, but only in self defense. She didn't like seeking out aggression. She had always believed that Mellie would make a much better successor than her, with her mean streak a mile long and borderline bloodlust when it came to winning and succeeding. Once, she had suggested it to her father, but he had quickly shut her down, stating that she would be the only choice he would consider. Granted, she was cunning and clever, and had all the qualities of a good criminal, but her heart just wasn't there like her sister’s was.

Esther woke up at 7:30 am every single morning. It was almost always to the minute, and she didn't even need an alarm clock. Something in her shook her out of her dreams at the exact time, no matter when she went to bed. Because of this, she could usually catch the end of the sunrise, and had at least an hour or two before anyone else was up to be by herself. She liked to creep around the house and do her own thing for a little while, without her sister wanting to join, or Phineas saying no. Her mornings went on like this for a while, that is, until Lilith moved in. It seemed like every time she was sneaking out, no matter the hour, Esther found her awake. She didn't mind being alone together in the slightest, but she worried that she was getting on Lilith’s nerves. This particular morning, she snuck down the stairs to go out and pick flowers in the back gardens, and found Lilith sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping her coffee and reading a book Esther didn't recognize the title of. 

"Mornin' darlin'," Esther said gleefully, deciding that she liked very much that Lilith was awake, and could come out into the morning air with her. Lilith didn't jump at the intrusion, which Esther expected, but she did turn to smile at her, which Esther did not. It was a real smile, with teeth, which she did not get often from the blonde woman, and not for lack of trying. She was constantly trying to get Lilith to laugh at her jokes, but as usual, Mellie’s voice was the only one heard. She usually only got her little, closed-mouth smirks when she thought no one was looking, and it was a nice change. Her teeth were big and white, and her mouth curved up a little more on one side than the other. Esther smiled back, and shook herself out of her thoughts.   
"Come outside with me?" Esther asked. It was framed as a question, but it was meant as more of a statement. 

"It's wet out."

"Dew doesn't count as wet."

"Is the ground wet?"

"Well-" Esther started, but was quickly cut off by Lilith standing up from her stool and putting her book down. The shorter girl had a smile on her face again, and practically skipped over to the counter to reach up and get a basket. She climbed up a little on the counter to reach the basket she wanted, a lovely round wicker one, but it was quickly snatched out of her hand by the much faster assassin, who instead offered her a hand to climb down. It was colder than Esther expected, but even in autumn, the south is hot, and it was a nice surprise. She did not let go. 

As it turned out, it was wet outside. The damp grass had long since turned the ankles of Esther's white socks green, but she didn't mind. It was nice to be out in the morning sun, the air still cool, and Lilith walking beside her, answering all of her questions for once. For the record, she was keeping them pretty tame, but she was trying to work her way up to asking about her father, his future plans, and maybe even how Lilith was sent to work in Savannah in the first place. For now, she settled for mundane questions that had simple answers. 

“So, the name Lilith, where did that come from? It’s not Russian.”

Lilith didn't know. She had been having a grand time having Esther’s undivided attention, but she quickly faltered when she was hit with a question she didn't have an answer for. She did not like not knowing things in general, and not having an answer for the pretty girl was not sitting right with her. However, she felt it better to tell the truth than to make something up. 

“I'm not sure, I guess I never asked.” Lilith finally answered, swinging the basket of flowers gently. They were slowly making their way around the garden, but each stop was slowed down by the questions. Esther could sense her unease, and gently brushed her hand against the older woman’s.

“You know, in Jewish folklore, Lilith was Adam’s first wife. She was banished from Eden for not subserving to him. It's not super popular as a religious name, but for a lot of women it symbolizes strength and independence. I think it fits you pretty well.” Esther looked up at her then, and halted her walking. She was smiling, and Lilith had no choice but to smile back at the sweet girl. 

“Not serving men? I guess that's a pretty good name for a lesbian.” Lilith said before she even thought about it. She smacked her hand over her mouth like she had just said a bad word, but Esther just laughed and gently pulled her hand from her face. 

“I guess I didn't want to assume, but Lilith, really? I was under the impression that wasn't a secret.” Esther managed to get out, still laughing at the older woman. Lilith hadn't really thought about it like that. It wasn't a secret, not really, but she hadn't said anything to either of the girls about it. Having it out in the open air made it real, and pushed her one step closer to admitting her new feelings, even if it was just to herself. 

"What's your favorite flower?" Esther asked. She was crouched down, gently plucking daisies from their patch. Lilith held the basket out for her to place them in, squatting down next to her.

"I don't know, roses, I guess." She answered, holding out her tattooed arm. She had a lot of tattoos, all in black ink, but Esther could see right on her inner forearm a long-stemmed rose. Esther stood up abruptly, and Lilith followed. The pink-haired girl gently grasped Lilith's arm, and ran her thumb over the tattoo.

"Roses are pretty, but a little cliche, don't you think?" Esther teased, winking up at her. Lilith glared at her, but it had no real anger behind it, and Esther laughed as she bent down and rolled down her left sock. It was a different style for sure, and the petals were a soft pink instead of negative space, but it was clearly the same flower. Lilith laughed along with her, and Esther quite liked the softness to the cold woman's laugh. She stood back up, still laughing, and put her hand on Lilith's arm to steady herself. It made the woman freeze up, just a little. While she had been gently touching her on and off all morning, this was abrupt, and gripping. Her jump was enough for Esther to notice though, and she quickly pulled her hand away. 

"No- it's okay. Don't worry about me." Lilith tried to fix it. She didn't want Esther to think she didn't like her or anything, but she certainly didn't need her to know the extent in which she did. Esther gently took the basket from her and gestured back towards the house with a smile. Lilith begrudgingly walked ahead of her and ventured to the stairs. 

"Hey!"

Lilith quickly spun around at Esther's outcry, to see the girl standing there, beaming at her. It made her heart flutter a little, and she ignored the other feelings it stirred inside of her. 

"For the record, I do worry about you, you know. Somebody has to" Esther said, walking towards her. She gently put her hand back on Lilith's arm and squeezed it, before walking past her up the stairs. Lilith watched her go, and her skin tingled from the soft touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did some research on Lilith's name (and I'm Jewish) but if you have any other stuff about the name let me know! (or if I'm wrong about anything)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should the chapters be longer? I have no idea

Melanie Goldmann had a lot of pent-up aggression. If left completely unchecked, it came out in bouts of rude words, dirty language, or pulling pranks on the other members of her household. It was difficult for her to put a name on what exactly made her feel this way, but she could bet it had something to do with the lack of parental figures in her life. Sure, she had Phineas, who treated her like a daughter, and Esther was always there, but she never saw her father and never knew her mother. All in all, no great threats to her plans for most of her childhood. After a particularly nasty prank involving super glue and a pair of tap shoes (she swore she didn't mean to get any on the inside), Phineas decided it was time for Mellie to find a new outlet for her anger. 

Both Esther and Mellie had been training in self defense from a very young age, and both girls were rather skilled when it came to taking down people much larger than they were. However, Phineas had decided a while back that that was not enough for Mellie. She needed a more offensive method, instead of only defense. He remembered when he started training, boxing was the one thing that got all of his feelings out into the world. The stress of the life of crime was no match for his punching bag, and it turned out it had a very similar effect on Mellie. He taught her basic moves and positions of the body so that she wouldn't hurt herself, and by now she didn't even need him to give her corrections. Any time she felt the need to break a plate or yell at her sister or put glue in places it shouldn't be, she would go down to the makeshift gym Phineas had installed to make sure he kept both his and the girl’s defense skills up. 

Mellie liked to go to the basement to train on rainy days. She didn't mind being out in the rain, but she knew her sister would probably stay inside unless she dragged her out, especially with their new Russian spy living in the house. She laughed at the thought of her older sister, who had always been the one to scoff at the idea of even kissing a boy, or anyone for that matter, giving Lilith her undivided attention. She knew the assassin was eating it up, and had no shortage of time to spend gawking at Esther and hanging on to her every word. She may have been younger than they were, but it was very clear to her what was going on, and she reckoned that they were in a far foggier place than she was.

She walked down the stairs to the basement, and smelled the dampness of the rain in the brick room. She had her bag with her gloves and tape hanging in the back with some other workout equipment she had never touched, and she ventured around the corner to get started. To her surprise, she stumbled upon a certain blonde assassin, who apparently had the same idea as she did. In her defense, she'd had ABBA playing in her earbuds when she walked down, and it's important to turn them up as far as humanly possible. 

Lilith turned before Mellie got all the way to her, foiling her plan to scare her. She noticed the wrist wraps around the young girl's hands, and backed away from the bag.

"I can go if you want, sorry I didn't know this was yours." Lilith stuttered out. She didn't know why Mellie made her so jittery. Maybe it was the unhinged feel of her personality, or the way she laughed anytime she caught Lilith and Esther standing less than five feet from each other. Either way, it made her uncomfortable that someone so young had such a negative effect on her. Lilith had never truly been bullied. She had been taller than most of the girls in her class, but she was so aggressive looking, even then, that they stayed away from her. However, she had a feeling that if she was in middle school (high school? Lilith had no idea what grade 14-year-olds were) with Mellie, she would have been mercilessly teased by the young tyrant. It seemed that if it came down to it, Esther was the only one who could really stop the girl. 

"No please, keep going, I was gonna use-" Mellie looked around at the other ancient work out equipment around her, "The bike first anyway." 

Mellie walked over to it and brushed her hand over the seat, getting some of the dust off. She wiped it on her leg and swung it over the bike. Lilith tentatively went back to hitting the bag, but she had a feeling that the brunette was still watching her. 

"What, Mellie?" Lilith asked, a little irritated at how the girl started laughing when she tensed up. 

"I just think it's funny." Mellie replied, giving absolutely no answer to the boxer's question. Lilith stopped again and spun around to face her. She looked pissed off, and it was accentuated by her red, sweaty face. Mellie continued to pedal as she continued her explanation. 

"You know, I'm not as stupid as you two think I am. I know nothing is actually happening between you, but it's pretty clear that you both think you're being slick with all of this."

Lilith... was not expecting that. She knew she wasn't exactly subtle about her feelings, but she thought she was a little bit more conspicuous than that. What shook her the most was "you two". Was Mellie implying that they both were trying to hide feelings? That couldn't possibly be right. It wasn't that she thought Esther was straight- I mean there was cottagecore and then there was cottagecore, and she had called her out on her own sexuality- but she had guessed she was into someone a little softer than Lilith. Someone with a warmer face and smooth hands, and maybe, you know, didn’t kill people for a living?

"How did you know?" Lilith asked sheepishly. She figured there was no way of getting out of this one. She looked up and was unsettled by Mellie's grin. 

"I didn't, not really." 

Shit. Thwarted by the oldest trick in the book. 

"It doesn't matter. I mean, I'm pretty sure there was no clause in your contract that says not to sleep with your boss's daughter." Mellie was really laughing now, and it was a little inaudible with how hard she was giggling. A much preferred sound to her usual laugh. Lilith, however, was a little offended that that was all Mellie thought of her. 

"It's not like that Mellie. She deserves better than that. Plus, she doesn't like me like that anyway." Lilith said, and Mellie realized that Lilith actually believed it. 

"Are you dumb? Esther thinks you're the greatest thing to ever step foot in this house, please don't tell me you're one of those whiny bitches who think they're 'not good enough' for a girl who actually does like them." Mellie really had no problem insulting Lilith, who she knew could totally kill her if she really wanted to. She didn't care. 

Mellie saw the turmoil in Lilith's face, and decided to drop it, after one more teenie weenie piece of advice. 

"It's just some food for thought. Go for it or not, I couldn't care less, but I do want my sister to be happy I guess." 

Lilith smiled at the surprisingly sweet comment Mellie made about Esther. 

"Maybe she could even help you 'destress' better than using MY punching bag."

With that, Lilith stormed off to Mellie's giggles. 

Hot water poured down Lilith's back as she sat on the floor of the shower, her knees drawn up to her chest. She liked it hot enough to turn her skin pink, and the sound of the water hitting the tile helped her think about what Mellie had said. Not so much the lewd comments, though those did cross her mind and made her stomach flutter a little. No, she was more wrapped up in trying to decipher her own feelings. She was NOT about to go down that rabbit hole today. For some reason, that felt like her feelings were solidified if she ventured that path, and she wanted to keep hold of what little dignity she had left. Plus, Lilith had been so offended by Mellie's comment about her only thinking about Esther in an indecent way. Sure Esther it may have crossed her mind that Esther was very pretty, and there were quite a few activities she wouldn’t’ve minded partaking in with her, but Lilith liked that she was sweet and funny and clever too. She liked that she teased her, and seemed to take pleasure in interrupting her work. She liked that her head only came up to her collarbones, and that she went out of her way to include her in any way she could. And she very much liked to be the one making Esther laugh. 

She stood back up, the water was cooling, and rolled her shoulders from her workout. The water ran down her toned biceps, and she looked down at her forearm to see the rose. She ran her fingers over it, far rougher than Esther had, before dropping it and turning the water off, storming out of the shower. She was not about to let a crush get in the way of her job, no matter how many matching tattoos they had.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut warning (sort of?) if you know me I am begging you not to read this

"I don't know how much longer I can do this Phineas," Lilith said one evening as the two of them sat out on the back porch. They had gone out to watch the sunset, but had stayed out long after, till the cicadas stopped singing. Only the light from inside cast any shadows, and Lilith quite enjoyed being able to actually see the stars. Phineas fixed her with a pointed look.

"This is easily the best gig you've had so far, no dropping out of airplanes or killing anyone, some time to finally _relax_ for a change." Phineas said, smiling at her. She did not return it. Relax was not a word in Lilith’s repertoire. She hadn't taken a day off in years, and she liked it that way.

"I feel like my talents are being wasted on babysitting. I need to be out there. In the fight. I'm the best Goldmann's got, and I know I fucked up but I do not appreciate a downgrade." Lilith was getting angrier as she spoke. Not so much at Phineas, but at the idea of her title, her legacy, being swept out from underneath her. Her breathing was heavy, and she was gripping the armrests of the old rocking chair she sat in. Phineas burst out laughing.

"First of all, this is in no way a downgrade, his kids mean the world to him, even if it may not seem that way, he sent you here because he trusts you enough to protect them, you think he would send just some petty criminal to look after those two?" Lilith let out a sigh, knowing that while that was probably true, it did not make her feel better about her lack of work. She was sure that Mr. Goldmann would not allow just anyone to live with his daughters, and she had risen in rank enough to hold that title. Phineas was not finished, however.

"Second, I'm sure you've figured out that even if you aren't actively fighting to save them every second, they are enough of a handful to keep you busy," Lilith also knew this to be true, as she had been keeping a close eye on Esther and Mellie, and their ability to cause havoc without surveillance. Despite the lack of regular- regular for her anyway- work, she was constantly doing something, and often didn't have time for herself. Not that she minded, as she was starting to enjoy both the girl's company. She did not catch the smirk on Phineas’ face.

"And finally, do you really think I'm stupid enough to not see what's going on between you and Esther?" He gave her a smile, not so much smug, but definitely mischievous. Lilith could not say that was the point she was expecting, and gaped for a moment at the older man as she tried to figure out a response. After a few moments, all she could come up with was a short, "Nothing- nothing is going between us!" It came out in a squeaky, half-shout instead of the confident statement she had planned. All Phineas did was laugh, as he slowly stood up.

"Call it what you like, but don't think you're smooth with all of this. You two are pretty obvious." With that, he headed inside, and left Lilith thinking about the phrase, "you two" again.

“You're stepping on my foot, Mellie." Esther whispered, tucked into the corner of the kitchen. She had only meant to get herself a glass of water when she heard Lilith and Phineas talking, and she only meant to overhear what was said while she was in there. Unfortunately, she heard her name come up, and of course was forced to listen to the rest. She found herself against the wall closest to the screen door, which she could clearly hear the conversation happening outside. This did mean, however, that they could also hear in, and when Mellie stumbled into the kitchen looking for Phineas' secret candy stash and saw her sister snooping she had to see what the fuss was about. Now, they were pressed together, listening to Lilith bitch about living with them. It was making neither of them very happy.

_"I feel like my talents are being wasted on babysitting. I need to be out there. In the fight. I'm the best Goldmann's got, and I know I fucked up but I do not appreciate a downgrade."_

"I can't believe she thinks we're a fucking downgrade! Like we need a babysitter!" Mellie was clearly more frustrated about being thought of as a child, but Esther couldn't shake the idea of Lilith not liking it there with them. Although they had started rocky, Esther had made sure that Lilith was comfortable as possible, and really tried to make sure they could be friends at least. She was more than a little disappointed that her efforts were for naught, and that the affection she thought she saw, and that Mellie insisted was real, was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. Esther was also very curious about what Lilith had done to fuck up so badly that she was sent down to live with them. She had zoned out for most of what Phineas had said, and was brought back to reality with a smack in the leg from Mellie and a tell-tale smirk. She leaned a little closer to the door and kept listening.

_"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to not see what's going on between you and Esther?"_

Record scratch, freeze frame, “you two?” This was not an explanation Esther was expecting. She could understand an argument about her father wanting the best for them, or having work cut out for the assassin (both topics she had totally ignored from Phineas's speech), but a claim that something was between them? Esther was doing her best to get rid of anything between them. Starting with space and a close second being clothing. Soon enough the creek of a rocking chair sounded into the quiet night, and the two girls made a run for it. No point in getting caught after that. They didn't look back, laughing and jogging all the way upstairs, to Esther's room. They fell against each other on the bed, and let out a sigh.

"So, do you believe me now?"

Esther turned to Mellie, who was sporting a shit eating grin, and poked her in the stomach. The younger girl writhed around a little before sliding off the bed. That was answer enough for her, and she quickly left, not without turning and winking at her sister on the way out.

The older Goldmann sat on her bed with her thoughts for a while, until she didn't hear any other sounds coming from downstairs or her sister's bedroom down the hall. She quietly got up and closed her door, turning to walk away before swinging back around to lock it. She had some contemplating to do with herself, and she was not about to have her sister, or anyone else for that matter, walk in on it. Well, maybe Lilith, Esther thought as she walked back to her bed.

The hot water of Esther's shower ran down her tan skin, tinging it the slightest pink on her shoulders. She could not get the conversation from earlier out of her head. She knew she was being less than subtle about her feelings, she never really felt the need to hide things like that, but Lilith's general cold demeanor told a different story. Esther had managed what she thought were little cracks in the walls she’d put up, but every time they spoke she couldn't tell where they stood. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to hope, but she figured thinking about her couldn't hurt. Lilith would never even know anyway. After all, if it was never going to happen, why would it matter that she was setting an expectation in her head for the older woman, and her ~abilities~. (This is what we in the biz like to call foreshadowing.)

She imagined Lilith clambering into the small shower with her, all breathy sighs and desperate touches. She pictured her pressing her against the back wall, the cold of the tile sending a chill down her spine as she was backed out of the hot water stream. Goosebumps erupted on her skin as she leaned her head against the wall. She thought about Lilith kissing her- her lips would probably be pleasantly chapped, they looked it-and pressing her tongue into her mouth and licking against her teeth. She would press kisses against her jaw and her neck, and down down down, past her buxom chest, past the pale marks on her hips, and lower, where her own fingers had already found a place. She saw Lilith's dark eyes looking up at her between her soft thighs, and that was it.

Esther quickly finished her shower, rinsing out her hair and wrapping herself in a towel. She caught a glimpse of herself in the foggy mirror as she was walking back to her room, reaching forward and wiping the steam so she could get a clearer view of herself. She liked to think of herself as quite beautiful, and knew other people certainly did, but she wanted to think that Lilith might like her for more than that. For her personality maybe? Esther was okay with Lilith liking other aspects of her other than her body. She gently let her towel drop and admired herself in the mirror. Ran her fingers lightly from her neck down to the faint stretch marks on her pelvis and the freckles on the tops of her thighs. _Lilith is allowed to like what I look like too_. She laughed at her own comment, and walked back into her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there will be more smut eventually but I have to figure out the direction I'm gonna go with it. Do y'all want like, super descriptive? or more like this. let me know if you want


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok I'm finally caught up with the chapters already written but I will try to get new ones out as fast as I can. This is my only source of serotonin lol

Viktoria Roman Was a bit of a hothead. 

She wasn't mean, per se, but she knew what she wanted, and she always got what she wanted. She was the type of woman who was the villain in every teen romcom and christmas hallmark movie. Tall and thin and rotten and beautiful. She exclusively wore pink, as she found that nothing made men fear her in the way that a vicious woman in a pink suit did. 

"Ricky baby, what are you saying?" Viktoria chirped out in her soft voice she saved for swindling older men. She walked around the dark wooden desk and perched herself across the lap of the man in question. Gently playing with his tie, she placed a soft kiss to his jaw, leaving a faint imprint of her red lipstick. 

"Viktoria, we can't do this anymore. We're about to become business partners, and it doesn't seem fair to anyone to keep this up, despite how much I feel for you." He slowly ran his hand up her thigh, and left it resting right at the hemline of her pink slip dress. She internally rolled her eyes, but let him touch her in the ways he thought she enjoyed. As much as she didn't like the idea of being with him, she had been enjoying the benefits of his companionship, and certainly did not like to be rejected. How dare a man think he was better than her? Viktoria fiddled with the chunky diamond necklace around her neck, a gift from Richard of course, as she decided her next move. She mentally put on her big girl under where and decided to fight to keep her current status. 

"Sweetie, surely there is something I can do to make you change your mind? All I want is for us to be able to stay together through this merger." She dragged out each word into a whine, trying to find a way to get him to agree with her. She was beginning to worry that if they were no longer seeing one another, he would start to see past her character of a sweet young girl who just so happened to fall in love with him. 

Viktoria was under the impression that when Richard called her into his office, she was going to get a proposal. When his secretary called her this morning, she found it a little odd, but figured he was getting things ready for their meeting. She had worn an expensive dress- that she would now have to get ironed- and had even painted her nails for god’s sake. Any way to make it look like she put effort into seeing him. Not that she particularly wanted to marry him, but there were great benefits to being married to rich criminals that single rich female criminals could not possess without a husband. Ah, the patriarchy. Anyway, she was rather shocked to get Elle Woods'd on a Monday morning, and it was all making her rather displeased. Why wouldn't he want to marry her? Wasn't every rich single man in want of a wife? Was she not good enough for him? She was young and beautiful, and while he may have been hot once, she reckoned years of the business had taken their toll. She made a mental note to look up a dermatologist at the first sign of wrinkles. 

"Look Vicky," She hated that nickname, "I just don't think it's wise to get too involved with each other when we are about to have to work together so often, despite our feelings," she rolled her eyes, "I think it's best if we stayed friends, before it's too late." He finished, giving her a sympathetic look. The wheels were already turning in her head. He would pay for this. Viktoria knew she would have been displeased by any outcome, but having to marry an older, powerful man was much better than being rejected by one. She promptly stood up, and glared down at him. All of her pretend kindness over the last few months shedding off. She stomped over to the door, but composed herself before turning the handle. If this merger was going to go well, and she was to receive any of his money at all, she needed to convince him of her compliance. She slowly creaked the door open, and turned over her shoulder, the light from the hallway casting her silhouette around his office. 

"Goodbye Mr. Goldmann." And with that, Viktoria was gone. 

"I want him dead." Viktoria was passing back and forth across the white tile of her apartment balcony. She turned and gripped the railing, looking down at the city far below her. She was fuming after her date with Richard, and had called her assistant from the back of the car on her way home, as her driver navigated the busy streets of New York. Now, she was angrily marching around her penthouse, while Tiffany reclined on her balcony with a fizzy drink. 

"No you don't. It won't do you any good to kill him. It would take forever to convince another rich guy to fall in love with you and agree to sign half of his company away, plus where would you even find him?" Tiffany called over the wind. Viktoria whipped around to face them. Although Tiffany was a bitch who was unenthusiastic about things that didn't involve sex, drugs, or killing people, they were usually right, and were always the first phone call when Viktoria was in need of professional counseling. It didn't mean that it didn't irritate her though. 

"What you really want is for him to rue the day he turned you down." Tiffany smiled up at their boss, why they had no problem telling the truth too, even if it hurt, apparently. 

"What do you propose I do then, hm? How long until he realizes that I don't actually care? When he sees that I'm after the other half too? What do I do then?" Viktoria said sarcastically. Tiffany slowly stood up and walked inside, gesturing for their boss to follow them. 

Once inside, Tiffany walked around the bar, and started mixing a drink for the woman. Gin and tonic, they were classy after all. Viktoria sat opposite them and leaned against the counter, with her chin in her hands. 

"You need him to fear you, right?"

"Obviously."

"And you're willing to do whatever it takes to get to him?"

"Get to your point Tiff."

Tiffany poured the drink into two glasses and slid one of them across the bar. They knocked their own back in one go, and Viktoria made a face at her employee in front of her as they leaned across the bar and entered her space. 

“I have a rather naughty proposition for you my dear,” Tiffany purred, their face inches from Viktoria’s. “How would you feel about getting back at Goldmann, once and for all? He’ll have to give you the company after this, hell, he’ll probably give you the fortune too.” 

Viktoria was thoroughly intrigued at the idea of taking his money AND making him feel bad. Double trouble. She smirked and put her index finger under Tiffany’s chin. 

“I think we may have a plan my dear.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nine chapters already? Geez.   
> Anyway, do y'all want like, hardcore smut? Cause I'm not sure it fits in but if no one says anything I'm writing full on fan fiction level smut lol (not yet but soon maybe ;) )

“Esssstheeeerrrrrr…”

Mellie had been bothering Esther all afternoon. The older girl was just trying to get in some “me time,” and living with a fourteen-year-old with no one else to bother, those moments were few and far between. It was apparent that she was not getting time to herself today. 

“What are you doing? Can I help?” Mellie pestered. It was obvious she did not care at all and had no plan on joining in her sister’s activity, but it didn't stop her from sitting on the floor of her Esther's bedroom, rubbing her sock feet against the pink carpet to make a scratching noise. She crawled over to the desk Esther was sitting at, and peeked over her shoulder at the computer screen. 

“Are you making a wedding pinterest board? Or am I looking at some sort of weird lesbian softcore porn?” 

That was the last straw. Esther slammed her laptop closed and stomped out of the room, leaving her sister at her desk. Mellie sometimes got into a funk of being mean for no reason. It was her way of getting back at her father, even if it never affected him at all. She crept up into the spinny chair and opened up the computer. She was hopping to find something interesting or juicy, but all it looked like was Esther just looking for a place to get her hair cut. She didn't  _ want _ to keep looking, but if everything was this boring, peeking a little bit more couldnt hurt. 

First, she looked at her search history, maybe she really was looking at lesbian softcore porn, but it was mostly just searching words she definitely should have known how to spell. More boring stuff. She was just about to give up entirely when she saw there was a tab open for her email. Mellie clicked on it, and it brought up a draft. 

Dearest Father,

I know this is a little formal, sending you an email, but I can’t get everything I want to say in a phone call without you interrupting me and trying to stop me. Okay here it is. I can't do this. I know we've talked about this before, and you said I was the only option for your legacy, but dad, I can’t. I want to go to grad school. I know I fought to go to college, but I want to fight again. I can't keep living chained up here, I have to get out. Don’t worry about Mellie, she can live just fine without me I promise. You can’t really believe that I would stay here forever? That I would just wait in this house until you died, and I had to scramble to take over everything? I want you to agree with me, but I’m leaving either way. I have to. Please just talk to me, give it a chance.

All my love, 

Esther

What am I even doing? I can’t send this. He will never say yes. He probably won't even read it. 

Mellie leaned back in her chair a bit and let out a low whistle. It was no secret that Esther was itching to get out, and that she was in no way willing to run the business, but she had no idea her sister was planning on straight up leaving. She was a little bit in shock. As much as Eshter didn't like all of this, she was a people pleaser, and no one more so than their father. Something was up, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. 

Fourteen year olds have a lot of qualities not found in many other ages. The combination of extreme self loathing mixed with unparalleled levels of hubris make even grown adults fear middle schoolers. They are also, apparently, dumb as fuck, because as soon as Mellie heard her sister was leaving, she immediately went to confront her about it. No thoughts on Eshter not actually sending the email, no “maybe she changed her mind” or “maybe this was in a fit and she doesn't actually believe it.” Only finding the answers right now. 

She ran down the hallway, and almost fell down the flight of stairs that took her to the back of the house. She was clutching the laptop in her arms as she skittered around the corner that led her to the Kitchen, where Lilith was explaining something to Esther that sounded super, boring but Esther was super into it. Their little conversation over coffee, a coffee date if you will, was brought to a screeching halt when Mellie barged in and demanded to know what was going on. 

“You're leaving ‽” 

Maybe not the best opener but it got to the point. 

“Mellie I'm not going anywhere, what are you talking about? You're father sent me here indefinitely, and I don't think he wants me back any time soon.” Lilith said, not fully understanding why Esther was making a face at her younger sister. A very displeased face. 

“Not you, why would I be talking to you?” Mellie half shouted. She had gained a boost of adrenaline from all of this, and it was coming out in her speech. 

Esther finally spoke up. 

“Melanie that's not very nice.” 

The young girl rolled her eyes.

“I just mean that I know she's staying, why aren't you? Do you not want to be with us anymore?” Mellie knew that wasn't what the email said, but she figured if her sister wanted to leave, there must be  _ nothing _ making her want to stay. 

“Your sister isn't going anywhere, except maybe the store, but I mean where else would she go?” Lilith was majorly confused, a state she did not find herself in often and was beginning to dislike more and more as their conversation went on.  “Where did you hear that?” Esther said quietly, causing both women to turn back to her. Then, Esther saw the crime scene, the laptop Mellie clutched in her arms like a baby. She slowly got out of her seat, and walked over to her sister. Every once of excitement and thrill from the last 20 minutes or so was very quickly draining out of Melanie Goldmann. It was not often that Esther got truly angry, but it was extremely unpleasant when she did. She didn't yell or scream or cause trouble like her sister, she kept her calm, but the unpredictability of her mood and actions frightened Mellie. She really wasn't sure what her sister would do. Up until Esther was right in front of her little sister, Mellie was convinced she was going to get a slap in the face. She had never had a real one, and her sister wore a big ring on her middle finger, she was sure it would hurt.

The slap never came, only Esther plucking the laptop out of Mellie’s hands, and quickly stomping out, glistening in her eyes. Almost immediately, Mellie started to collapse in a fit of tears. Her knees never hit the floor however, as Lilith had swooped in and caught the poor girl.

Lilith was not happy to, not after she had made her sweet sister cry, but the assassin knew it was her new job to make sure both girls were okay, and this one was right in front of her. She pulled her back up to standing and wrapped an arm around her shoulder awkwardly. It was worth mentioning that Lilith was not very good at comfort.

“I'm not sure what you did, frankly I'm not sure what just happened at all, but I know it upset both of you. Do you want to tell me what's going on?” Lilith really hoped the answer was no. What was she supposed to say to comfort a child? She barely spent time with girls Mellie’s age when she was Mellie’s age. Thankfully, The younger Goldmann shook her head, and pulled away from the taller woman.

“I have to apologize now, don't I?” She choked out. 

“Probably, but I may give it a minute. I don't know your sister as well as you do, but she seems like she could use a minute to herself right now.” Lilith said, squeezing Mellie’s shoulder in a way that she hoped was helping. She caught sight of Phineas in the doorway behind the young girl, grinning at Lilith showing an ounce of emotion. 

Mellie turned to leave, giving Lilth one last smile through her tears, and said, 

“I think she might not mind talking to you right now.”

Lilith was not good at comfort, but she was willing to try a little harder for Esther. Maybe that was mean, but Mellie had just burst in on them and made her sister cry. She gently knocked on Esther's bedroom door and waited for her to tell her to go away. She didn't believe Mellie, but she figured it wouldt hurt to try. The door slowly swung open to reveal a fresh faced Esther. She must have splashed some water on it, because she no longer looked like she was just in tears and she  _ glowed. _ Lilith was a little taken aback. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright, after, you know…” Lilith was at a bit of a loss for words.  _ Am I saying the right thing? Did I come too late? Does she not want to see me and is just being nice?  _ All manner of scenarios played in the older woman's head, but Esther just gave her a soft smile and gently tugged her inside by her arm. Lilith made a note that she closed the door behind them. 

“I think so. I’m just tired of my sister going through my shit I guess.”

“Do you really want to leave?”

It came out a little too quickly, and made Esther jump a little. Did she? The short answer was yes, but she knew it was far more complicated than that. Before she came up with a fitting answer, Lilith pulled her arm out of Esther’s hand to take it. She hoped her hands weren't too rough against the pink-haired girl’s soft one.

“How about this, why don't you and I go for a drive around tonight. We can do whatever you want, and you won't have to worry about her asking you all her questions for a little while.” She was hoping very much that Esther would agree, mostly to make her feel better but wanting to spend as much time with her as possible was a close second. The shorter woman nodded, and smiled up at her. Lilith wanted it tattooed in her brain forever. 

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to do actual research on cars for this one

Lilith had not felt this free in a long time. It wasn't that she usually felt tied down or held back, quite the opposite as she usually spent her time killing people, but she never felt this void of responsibility. She sat in the driver's seat of one of the cars she had found in the garage. A vintage pickup with the top back, so the wind whipped her short blonde locks around her neck. She looked to her right at Esther, who was singing along to the radio and looking up at the stars. It makes Lilith smile, to see the girl so happy. She’s been looking all night, careful to keep her eyes on the road as well, and for hours they had driven around Savannah, taking in the haunting old buildings and even older trees. 

“Do you want to stop and look at them?” Lilith asks at a stop sign, gesturing up at the sky. It causes Esther to jump a little, in her own world, but twist to face her and nod enthusiastically. She smiles brightly at the blonde, who can’t help but return it, and their stare is only broken when the guy behind them honks. 

  
  


They settle for a park. There are lots of parks around, most of them in neighborhoods, with small playgrounds and benches for the moms to gossip at. They pick one a little out of the way, so as not to get wrapped up in whatever teen drama happens after hours there. Lilith parked the pickup in the gravel lot, and climbed from her seat to the bed of the truck. She then stuck her hand out for Esther to join her, helping her to step over the seats into the small space. The metal was cold, and made Lilith squirm a little, but it ultimately felt good on a fall night in Georgia. They lay back against the it, shoulders touching. It seems far more intimate than the hours they've just spent together, almost as close. The only sounds were the crickets, and the rustling of the trees around them. 

“That up there is Andromeda,” Esther said, pointing up at a cluster of stars that looked like absolutely nothing to Lilith, “She was a princess who was going to be killed by the gods, but a brave warrior saved her.” 

  
Lilith smiled at Esther, who was frantically pointing at the sky and rattling off other constellations. The blonde woman couldn't keep herself listening, and couldn't pull herself away from looking at Esther's profile against the gentle light of the moon. It got her attention.

“What, what? We're supposed to be looking at the stars!” Esther laughed, Lilith laughed too, but it was much more of a soft sound. She didn't want to disrupt a single second of Esther’s. Luckly, Esther didn't seem too bothered, and slowly looked back up at the sky. Lilith finally pulled her gaze away from counting the younger woman’s freckles, and looked up too.”

“What's that one called?”

“That's pegasus, the winged horse.”

“And that one?”

“Uhhh, I think that's Virgo.”

“What about that one, over by Andromeda?” 

Esther thought for a moment, and then turned on her side to face Lilith. 

“That's Perseus, he’s the hero in Andromeda’s story. They say Zeus put them together in the sky so they could spend eternity close to one another.” 

Lilith looks at her, then. Her shining eyes and her soft smile, and cant help but feel like this is the best night of her life. She knew that sounded a little crazy, but in the scheme of things, it couldn't be that bad right? Esther slowly rolled back, and Lilith missed her. She jumped a little as she felt Esther's soft and wiggle its way into her own. The pink-haired woman laced their fingers, and Lilith could only think about her few friends growing up said if you hold hands like that, it means a boy likes you. She hopes it works for girls too. She also hopes Esther doesnt mind her rough hand holding her smaller, softer one. She did initiate it, but it still feels like Lilith should apologise for the state of her calluses. 

  
  


“What did Mellie mean when she said you wanted to leave?” 

Lilith knows she shouldt ask, but they've been skating around it all night and she  _ needs _ to know what was bothering the two of them. Baseline just for her job’s sake. Esther sighed and looked over at her. 

“She was looking through my stuff, emails I think. I had written- I had written one for my father. I told him I didn't want to be a part of this, and I wanted to leave and continue school and not have to be a part of this fucked up family drama.” By the time Esther had finished, she was starting to tear up, and Lilith quickly pulled her against her chest, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and the other hand gently resting on the back of her head. 

“It was maybe a year ago, and I never even sent it, I was just angry. She probably hates me now, thinking that I want to leave her.” Esther choked out, and Lilith pulled her closer, tucking her head under her chin.

“She doesn't hate you, I promise, she's just upset you didn't talk to her about it.” Lilith softly stroked her pink curls, and hoped Esther’s love languages were aquaward physical touch and poorly executed words of affirmation.    
  
“I don’t know what I want now.” At that, Esther sits up a little, her hands at Lilith’s sides, and looked down at the blonde woman. “Well, I guess I know a little.” She smiled then, and laid back down against Lilith, her head resting on her chest. 

  
Lilith was having a hard time breathing. Having Esther so close was a little bewildering to her, and she was almost surprised the pink-haired woman wanted to be this close to a criminal. She knew she’d grown up around them, but Lilith wasn't so sure that if the roles were switched, she'd want to be this close to herself. Not knowing what she’d done in the past. It was making her heart flutter a little. She felt herself getting soft, and it almost didn't bother her at all. She gingerly wrapped her arms back around Esther and held her close again. 

They laid like that for a while, Lilith had no idea what time it was. She knew they should be heading back, but she was not about to move and disrupt the small woman in her arms, who she was pretty sure was close to falling asleep. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” 

Esther’s soft, sleepy voice made Lilith jump a little, but she nodded against the top of her head. 

“I don’t actually know anything about astronomy. Like at all. I have no idea if those were even constellations, let alone if they were the right ones.” Esther started giggling, and Lilith could feel it against her chest. It made her laugh along, but gently, so as not to shake Esther. 

“Why did you say it then? And why would you admit to it? I had no idea. I would have believed you.” Lilith managed to get out while laughing. Esther tucked her head against the tall woman’s chest and laughed again. She mumbled something, but Lilith couldn't quite understand. She squeezed Esther’s waist to get her to say it again. 

“I said I wanted you to think I was cool. I wanted to impress you.”

Lilith couldn't see Esther’s face, but she was sure she was blushing. Damn them being so close, and her still missing the pink tint to Esther’s cheeks. She bets it's a sight. 

“You don’t have to go out of your way for that. I’m pretty much at your command right now anyway.” Lilith managed to get out, and she was quite proud of herself for not stuttering on any of the words. Instead of answering, Esther reached down and took Lilith’s hand that wasn't pressed against her, and brought it slowly to her mouth, gently kissing her knuckles. It made the assassin's brain short out a little, her soft lips against her hand she had surely split the skin of a few too many times. They didn't say any more words, and eventually, Lilith felt Esther’s breathing slow down as she slipped in to sleep. Lilith stayed awake, of course, partly because she wanted to be able to protect her- a rare moment of doing her actual job- and partly because she couldn't shake the feeling of Esther’s soft kiss, and only wished she could have more. 

  
  


When Esther rose the next morning to the sun coming up, Lilith was awake against her, and it made the young woman blush thinking about the previous night. Nothing scandalous had happened at all, but she still felt like she was waking up after a hookup. A really good hookup. One where you wish you were already dating the person and didn't have to leave because the two of you shared a cottage in the countryside and all you had to do was go feed the chickens before you got back in bed. 

“We should probably head back.”

  
  


Immediately upon arriving at the house, something was off. The two women stepped inside from the garage, and the energy was odd. Esther could feel it. Something was wrong. The house was silent. It was  _ never _ silent. You could always hear Mellie talking loudly, or Phineas playing his old jazz on the radio. But there was nothing. No tap dancing or saxophone. No sound. The two shared a look, and Lilith took the lead walking in, gently pushing Esther behind her. The smaller woman gripped onto the back of her black tank top, and rose up on her toes to whisper in her ear. 

“Where are they? Something is wrong Lilith.” Lilith wouldn't have minded it if it weren't for the sick feeling in her stomach about what was happening. She knew Phineas would defend Mellie till his last breath, but how quickly would that come? She didn’t want to think about it as they crept into the living room. It was a mess. Furniture was turned over, lamps were broken, the antique ceramic bowl on the table that Esther had always hated was shattered, and no sign of Mellie or Phineas. There was not, however, a single drop of blood, and both women let out a little sigh of relief. Esther grabbed Lilith’s hand as they walked into the kitchen and saw the note sitting on the counter. It was in elegant script, and Lilith knew immediately who it was from. 

  
  


Dear Lilith, 

I’ve taken something from you! I'm sure you've figured that out by now what it is. Don’t worry, you can have it back, as soon as you get here and take them from me sweetie. I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement, after all, you wouldn’t want your boss’s children hurt would you? They won’t be harmed, I pinkie promise. But you have to act quickly my darling. And make sure you mention this to Mr. Goldmann, he’ll want to know right away. Come see me, you know where I’ll be.

All my love,    
Viktoria Roman

P.S. I’ll take good care of Esther, I bet she’s your favorite  ♥

  
Lilith was fuming by the end of the short letter. What was she supposed to do now? And why did it sound like she had both girls? Clearly she hadn't come into the house. She turned to Esther, who had been reading over her shoulder, and saw silent tears running down her face. She wasn't sure what words would comfort her, she wasn't sure any would right now, but she reached out and gently cupped the girl’s face, running her thumbs over her tear-streaked cheeks, before pulling her close. She put her arms around her protectively, and whispered against her pink curls. 

“I promise I will get them back, no matter what. I won’t let her harm them, and they won’t lay a finger on you, I promise, I promise.” 

  
Lilith kept holding the girl for a while, as she contemplated what on earth she would say to her boss. Fuck. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought something might happen here didn't you? Hmmmmm not yet


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's a doozy not gonna lie  
> I really like this chapter

Lilith was  _ not _ looking forward to the conversation with Mr. Goldmann. She thought she would mostly be just scared to tell him one of his children was kidnapped, and by a rival no less, but she was more worried about leaving Esther than anything. She didn't want the girl out of her sight. In the end, she decided it would be best for everyone if Esther didn't hear the phone call. She crept upstairs to her room, leaving Esther in the kitchen, and dialed his number.

_ “I know Lilith.”  _

This was not the best case scenario. If he already knew, and hasn't reached out to her yet, things were probably not at all very good. 

_ “Esther and I just got back, we had gone for a drive and they were gone-” _

“Lilith, I know you weren't there. I know you wouldn't let anything happen to Melanie or Phineas.” Mr. Goldmann said. Lilith guessed it was probably good that he wasnt mad at her for not being there, but she was confused as to why he wasn't more upset about his youngest daughter being gone. It was almost like he expected it. 

“How did you know?” Lilith tentatively asked. She was already putting things together in her head, but she wanted to hear it from him. 

_ “I- it doesn't really matter. I've been trying to make some deals with Viktoria, and I guess things didn't go her way.” _ He sighed, like it was some deep revelation and not completely obvious that he had fucked something up with her. She did steal one of his children after all, and attempted to steal the other. Thinking about what he did to (and with) Viktoria upset Lilith, but it had been years since she’d last seen her, and she tried not to let it show in her voice.

“What do we do now?’’

Silence from the other end. Lilith was beginning to think he had hung up when she heard him finally answer. 

_ “Well for you, nothing. Stay with Esther. I’ll sort this whole thing out. Don't worry.” _

Do nothing? His own daughter and one of his closest friends were taken by a deranged woman and Lilith was supposed to do nothing?

“But sir, I know where they might be! She said in her letter we needed to act fast!” Lilith half-shouted. Normally she would never talk to her boss that way, but he couldn't really believe that she would sit back and do nothing, not when she knew she could make a difference. 

_ “It will be fine, just stay put. I don't need you getting involved in any Viktoria drama. Don’t do anything stupid, and that includes going after-” _

Lilith hung up the phone on Mr. Goldmann. She didn't have anything left to say to him, and she didn’t care about his opinions on what they should do about Mellie and Phineas. She walked out of her room, and went to go find Esther. She was the top priority at the moment, and since her father didn't seem like he was on top of things, the least she could do was try and comfort her now, as they try to figure out what to do next.

  
  


She walked down the front staircase, looking for the pink-haired woman. She called out her name. Silence. There were very rare occasions when the house was truly silent, and the last one she could think of was that morning, when she got back to the house with Esther to find Mellie and Phineas gone. Lilith started panicking. What if they had come back? What if they had Esther too, and they were on the move with them now? She couldn't lose all of them. Lilith frantically ran around the grand house, looking in every place she thought Esther may be hiding. 

As she cleared the first floor, she was beginning to lose hope, and to spiral into an anxiety induced panic. It didn't happen often, she had tried to train it out of herself, but whenever she was under high stress, it creeped its way back out into her mind. If Esther was also missing, it was entirely her fault. She leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to catch her breath. She needed to stay calm if she wanted any chance of finding them.  _ Deep breaths Lilith _ , she said to herself,  _ in and out _ . 

Suddenly, she was drawn out of her thoughts by a large crash. She quickly looked around for the noise, and followed several more crashes to a door at the end of the hallway in the back of the house. Lilith had never seen it, and had no idea where it led. She gently took the door handle, and swung it open quickly, so that it wouldn't squeak. It wouldn't have mattered, the crashing sound was louder now, and would have drowned it out. 

Lilith  _ sprinted _ down the stairs. She was not about to let one of the few people she had grown to care for go without a fight, nevermind that it was her actual job. She got to the bottom of the stairs to find Esther alone, with an ornate, china dish in her hand. 

Lilith looked around to find a simple basement. It was clean and new-looking- not connected to the room full of work-out equipment- but mostly empty, save for a few boxes of plates and bowls, and the entire floor covered in shards of ceramic. When Esther heard her hit the last few steps, she spun around and dropped the plate she was holding in surprise. 

Her freckled face was streaked with tears, and her eyes and nose were red. Her knees and bottom lip wobbled for a moment, before collapsing down into a pile of porcelain shards with her head in her hands. Lilith immediately walked over, not caring about the china, and bent down to the smaller woman’s level. Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around Esther, and gently leaned their bodies together. She could feel the sobs rack the small frame in her arms, and pulled her closer to her chest. She could smell her faint perfume and floral shampoo in her pink curls.

They had been sitting there for what felt like an eternity when Esther finally settled her tears down, and shifted in Lilith’s arms. The older woman started to pull away, thinking the smaller woman would prefer her to keep her distance,but Esther wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her back in. Lilith locked her strong arms around her, and hoping that her fierce protectiveness and attempt at comfort was evident in her hold. 

“Its my fault Lilith,” Esther finally started, her voice gravelly from crying, “I should have never- I- the fight-” She started crying again, and Lilith brought one of her hands up to hold the girl’s head closer against her chest.

“Shhh it's alright, your father knows, he's not going to let anything happen to them, alright? They will be back with us soon.” 

They sat there a little while longer, Lilith holding Esther against her as tight as she could, and Esther not letting her go, until the blonde looked down to realize that while her thick cargo pants were protecting her knees from the ceramic, Esther’s bare legs were cut all down her shins where she sat.

“Come on upstairs Esther, we need to clean your legs up, okay? Don't worry about the mess, I’ll deal with it later. You need to come back upstairs with me.” Lilith said in the gentlest voice she could muster. Esther didn’t move, probably only now realizing her legs burned from the glass, so Lilith slung an arm under her knees and lifted her up. She finally saw her legs, and tried not to pull a face at the cuts. Esther kept her arms around Lilth’s neck as the strong woman brought her body against hers. 

  
  


Lilith brought Esther upstairs and sat her on the kitchen counter. She realized that she had no idea where the first aid kit or anything that she could use to help her. She looked around, and turned back to Esther who was pointing under the sink. Lilith quickly reached under to get the kit. She brought it back and set it next to Esther, who was staring at her bloody shins. 

“I’m sorry Lilith.” 

Lilith leaned forward and put a hand on the side of Esther’s neck, her thumb brushing her tears away for a moment, before gently wrapping her large hands around one of Esther’s ankles to start cleaning the cuts.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, least of all to me.” The older woman said, gently running the alcohol pad down Esther’s shin. She winced and clenched her leg muscles, and Lilith lightly pressed her other hand down on Esther’s thigh to keep her steady. 

“I made a huge mess, I scared you, and now you have to clean me up. I’m like a child, Lilith. I’m sorry.’’ 

“Esther-”

“ _ And _ , Phineas is your friend! You care about him! I know you probably say you don't have any friends and are too cool to care, but I know from the way he always talked about you that you were close. You lost someone! And I’m just, just-” 

Lilith dropped Esther’s leg and put her hand over her mouth. After she was sure she had her attention, she gently took her small face in her hands and leaned closer to her. 

“I promise you are not acting crazy. You just lost your sister! My god, you can act in any way you want!” Esther grabbed Lilith by her t-shirt and pulled her between her legs, wrapping her arms around the tall woman’s waist. Lilith was a little surprised, but gingerly wrapped her arms around Esther’s shoulders. They sat like that for a while, against one another, until Lilith remembered Esther had two legs, and the other needed cleaning too. She mumbled something as she bent to clean the other leg, and Esther didn't quite catch what she said. She nudged Lilith with her foot to repeat it, and the assassin looked up at her with a bit of pink creeping up her neck.

“I’d like to consider you my friend too.” Lilith would meet her eyes. 

“What are you talking about?’’

“You said you thought I was too cool to care, but I do, I really do.” Lilith’s grip on Esther’s leg tightened a bit, and Esther leaned over and gently brushed some of the blonde strands from Lilith’s face. 

“I know, Lilith, I know you do.”

  
  



	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really trying to get these out at least every other day lol sorry if I can't ;)
> 
> There is SO MUCH dialogue in this ughhhhhh

Lilith had been trying to put the living room back together for a while now. She had sent Esther upstairs to change out of her clothes from the day before, and also to get her out of the way so she could clean. Lilith didn't want her to have to help with it after all she’d been through that morning. Her sister and father figure going missing, and then tearing her legs up on the shards of ceramic, it was too much for Lilith, and she wasn't sure how the younger woman was coping at all. Most everything was clean by now. She had turned over all the furniture and threw away all the chotchkies that were broken beyond fixing. All she wanted to do was to march upstairs, wrap Esther in her arms, and never let her out of her sight, but she knew she had to give her time. 

The blonde woman walked over to the sofa and sunk down on the soft cushions with her head in her hands. 

“She said you knew where they were.”

Lilith jumped about three feet straight up. She obviously knew the other woman was still in the house with her, she’d be damned if she let that change, but was more than a little surprised to see her up and about. 

“She did. Why do you bring it up?” Lilith did not want to talk about Viktoria. Especially not with Esther, but she felt like it was getting more and more important to tell her about the woman. She soon found out she didn't need to.

“We didn't talk about what my father said. I know you talked to him this morning, and I know he knows Viktoria, I never thought she would do anything like this though.” The last part Esther mumbled to herself, but it was clear enough that Lilith heard. It confused the assassin, why Esther seemed like she knew the woman already. Lilith sighed again, and patted the sofa next to her, she might as well tell the girl what happened.

“Your father told me to stay here with you. He said he was getting on the case, and that it was most important to keep you safe right now.” Lilith said gently. She was not entirely sure how Esther was going to respond. It turns out, outrage was the best way to describe her response. 

“What do you mean stay here? How would it be safe to stay here? And if you know where they are why wouldn't we get them? Save them! You do know right? Because the letter said that time was running out and we needed to get there soon. Lilith please tell me my dad has people there. Please.’’ Esther had stood up, and was now passing across the room. Lilith did not want to disappoint the woman, but there was no point in lying to her. 

“He didn't ask where they were. He seemed like he wanted to get off the phone as soon as possible. I tried to tell him, but he said he was already working on it.” Lilith said quietly, hoping it would calm Esther a little. It did not. 

“So he has no idea where they are, and is blindly searching, even though you KNOW their location? I can not believe this! The way he treats her, when she would be his favorite if he gave her a chance. It’s like he doesn't even care.” Esther slumped back down on the sofa by the end of her speech, and leaned her head against Lilith’s shoulder. Lilith wasn't sure she fully believed that Mr. Goldmann didn't care about his youngest child, but it sure seemed that way right now. She gently wrapped a strong arm around the smaller woman and pulled her closer to her body. 

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you, I promise. Mellie and Phineas will be back with us soon, and it will all be over.” Lilith soothed, she gently ran her fingers through Esther’s pink hair, and felt her relax a little from the anger. They sat that way for a while, and the only sound was coming from the soft rain that had started in the back garden. 

“Where are they?” 

“Jersey, I’m sure of it.” 

Esther nodded, like that was obvious somehow.    
  
“I just hope they get there on time.”

  
  


Lilith had just fallen asleep when a very loud banging sound made her jump out of her skin, and almost out of her bed. She struggled to get her bearings, and figure out what the hell was going on. For someone whose job is sneaking up on people to kill them, and trying not to be killed yourself, it took her more than enough time to figure out the banging was coming from her door. She quickly pulled herself together and shouted a strangled, “Come in!” in the general direction. She hoped she’d be heard over the banging. 

Esther stormed in, walking quickly over to the bed and crawling up so she was sitting on her knees facing Lilith, who was still tangled in a sheet and furiously trying to push the fantasy of where this could go out of her head. This was a difficult job considering Esther’s silken pink pajamas that were the same color as her hair, and the fact that her face was approximately twelve inches from her own. 

“I can’t sleep.”

Lilith let out a sharp laugh. 

“Yeah, I can see that. Can I help you with anything?” It was very clipped, and Lilith heard herself being rude, but she still wasn't fully awake and couldn't bring herself to give her nice sentences. Esther threw her head back and laughed very loudly. It was much more pleasant than when her sister did it, but it was very unsettling to watch her smile when Lilith knew how she was feeling. This could not be good. 

“I have an idea.” 

It wasn't fair to say that Mellie was the only crazy, irrational, mastermind of the family. She may have been the outward choice for the position, but it was Esther who she learned it from. Lilith was beginning to figure that out, as she pushed herself up to fully sitting and facing the younger woman, and pulling the sheet up to her chest when she realized she was in fact, completely naked. Esther didn't seem fazed. She started giving her plan at a mile a minute, and Lilith struggled to keep up. 

“I know my father said it was best if the two of us stay here, but I disagree. See, Viktoria sent people here already, which means she knows where we are. That's not good. So you're thinking, “we gotta get out of here!” We can take one of the cars, and go. Perfect!” Esther paused to take a breath, and Lilith tried to butt in, but the smaller woman continued, “Except, where do we go? Well, we can't exactly go all the way to New York, it would take days! And my father clearly doesn't want to see either of us, and I was just thinking, maybe, since I know he will never get there on time-”

“No.”

“Lilith you're not even-”

“No Esther.” Lilith reached forward and put a hand over her mouth, a position she had found herself in more and more lately, not that she was complaining, “We can't just go gallivanting out and saving Mellie and Phineas. That won't ever work! I mean, the two of us against Viktoria and her people? We’d never make it. I can't put you in that much danger.” Lilith pulled her hand away from Esther, who gently took it in both of hers.

“Look Lilith, this isn't me asking permission. I know how to drive a car. I can figure out how to get there on my own. You can stay here and follow my dad’s weird rules if you want. I was only asking you if you’d join me.” Esther squeezed Lilith’s rough hand in her smaller ones. 

“I can’t let you go, you know that right? I can stop you if I have to.” Lilith said quietly, focusing on their hands and not meeting the pink-haired woman’s eyes. 

“You're naked and half asleep Lilith, I’d like to see you try.”

Esther moved to stand up, but Lilith was stronger, and pulled her by their joined hands until she fell back on the bed, Esther’s back pressed against her chest.

“I won’t let you go alone. I promised I would keep you safe, and I don’t want to let you out of my sight, got it?” Lilith whispered against Esther’s neck, and it sent a shiver down the smaller woman’s spine. Not in a ‘I’m frightened by this murderous persona’ way, but in a, “I am very gay and you are very hot and its freaking me out’ way. Esther smiled, and pulled herself out of the embrace.

“So you're coming?” 

Lilith looked around the dark room, and then back up at Esther, who was now standing over her visibly shaking with excitement. 

“I guess I am.” She said, shaking her head.

“Great! I can even drive If you want. We can leave tomorrow morning. Pack your stuff! We have a long day tomorrow.” Esther leaned down and pressed a kiss to Lilith’s cheek, before turning and leaving as quick as she’d come. It took everything in Lilith to force herself asleep after her encounter, unable to shake the feeling of the soft lips on her skin. 

  
  



	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 13 chapters? wow   
> I would have never thought that this would get 100 hits, thank y'all so much!   
> ❤︎

As it turned out, Esther could not drive. At all. She had a license, but only because she was an adult and was legally obligated to have one. It had been a whole debacle when they finally got all of their things together the next morning, and were climbing into the Jeep. It did not go unnoticed by Lilith that this was probably Esther’s plan all along, and was fully manipulating her into joining. She didn't really care, far too worried about the outcome of this trip. So much was at stake, her job, her reputation, and the lives of two women she had actually come to care for. All she could think about was having to see Viktoria again. She obviously knew Lilith and Esther would come for her, but Lilith had no idea what to do or say when they actually got there. She didn't have a plan, and that was not a place she liked to be. At all. 

“How long is it going to take to get there?”

Lilith looked over at Esther, who had her feet on the dash and was bopping along to the pop on the radio, and rolled her eyes. She wasn't annoyed with the woman per se, but she was not thrilled with her constant questions and calm attitude towards the situation they had found themselves in. 

“I’m not sure, a long time probably.”

Esther pulled her feet down and leaned over the console so that she could whisper to Liltih.   
  


“We should play a game.”

“What kind of game?”   
  


“We could play truth or dare?”    
  


“Esther we’re in a car, how can we dare?”

Esther thought for a moment.

“Okay how about truth or extreme truth?”

Lilith looked back over at Esther, who was grinning at her oh so sweetly, and back at the windshield, where there was nothing but road and farms and cows. 

“Truth or extreme truth then?” 

  
  


“Have you ever gone skinny dipping?” 

They had been playing the game for a better part of an hour now, and Lilith was surprised at how much fun she was having. She had never been one to play silly slumber party games- growing up she hardly hung out with other kids all- and she was trying to ignore the thoughts of all she had missed out on during her teen years. Girls like Esther had been going to school, playing sports, and making friendships, and what had Lilith been doing? Killing people. She knew they were not the same, but she couldn't help but feel connected to Esther. 

“I mean, I’ve taken a bath in a lake before, does that count?”

Esther laughed, loudly, and gripped Lilith’s arm that had been resting on the gearshift.

“Why on earth have you taken a bath in a lake?” She finally said, after she had calmed down a little. 

“I was on a job, it was in the woods, I had to get a bunch of blood of fast.” Lilith had been giving blunt answers, and trying to keep up a facade of only doing this for Esther’s pleasure, but she could tell the younger woman saw through what she was doing. 

“Alright, your turn.”

“Truth or extreme truth?”

“Hmmm. Extreme baby.”

Lilith thought for a moment, ignoring the idea of Esther calling her that in a less friendly way. What did she really want to know about Esther? She could tell that Esther had proposed the game to get more personal information out of her, but she knew she could use it the same way right back. Or at least, it wouldn't hurt to try.

  
“Have you ever kissed a girl?”

Esther looked over at her with wide eyes, like she had just asked if she was a serial killer. 

“I’m sorry- you don’t have to answer that if you don’t- I was just assuming-”

Esther’s laughing cut her off. 

“How is that an extreme truth? I was under the impression that you were well aware of the lesbian vibes sweetheart.” 

Lilith whipped her head around to look at her, trying to also keep her eyes on the road. Esther was still laughing, and she couldn't help but laugh along with her. 

“I didn’t want to just assume that you were! I don’t know, I’m not the best at guessing. I don’t exactly hang out with people enough to be able to tell.” Lilith finally got out between giggles. She never giggled, and she was a little shocked with herself. 

“Oh, so youre saying you let the girls come to you then, hmmm? Then ditch ‘em when you're done?” Esther smirked up at her, and Lilith rolled her eyes.

“I just meant I usually don't hang out with anyone. I mostly work alone, you know.” The laughing had ceced, and Lilith immediately felt bad for killing the mood. She usually worked so hard to make Esther smile, and did not like being the one stopping her one bit. Lilith looked down when she felt the pink-haired woman gently lace their fingers together, and Esther squeezed her hand. 

“But you're not alone anymore, you have me know.”

And didn't she know it. 

  
  


“Okay, truth or extreme truth?” 

“Truth”

“Who’s your favorite Goldmann sister?”

Lilith was standing outside of the car, pumping gas and leaning against the door to continue talking to Esther. She looked at the screen counting the pennies and the gallons, and back at the young woman, who was looking at her like she already knew the answer. Lilith was in the mood to tease her. She smiled, and slammed the door shut, continuing her transaction at the pump, closing the fuel door, and taking her time with the receipt. She thought about smoking a cigarette too, but worried that might just irritate Esther. She jumped back into the car and turned the key.

  
“It's hard to say, both sisters have qualities I find, how can I put it, less than satisfactory.” Lilith smirked, and looked over at Esther, who had an exaggerated look of shock on her face. 

“Prey tell, what bad qualities does the younger have?”

Lilith pretended to think for a minute before answering.

“She’s loud, and obnoxious, and always knows how to get under my skin. She also asks way too many questions.” 

Esther laughed at that, before her face fell a little. 

“And me?” She said, so quietly that it was almost a whisper. Lilith leaned over and brushed a few strands of her pink curls over her shoulder.

“You don’t have any, you're perfect, I promise.” At that, Esther smiled and leaned over, giggling to herself, like she was the only one in on the joke. 

“I know, but I like hearing you say it.” 

Lilith was not expecting to get played by the younger woman. Sure, Esther was probably smarter than she was, but she prides herself and not letting pretty girls get the best of her. Needless to say, she was failing in that regard. All she could do was softly smile at Esther, and watch as she laughed at herself. 

“Of course you're my favorite. Are you kidding? You think I would have done all of this if it was you who was taken instead of your sister?” 

Esther stopped her laughing at that, and Lilith thought she had hit a nerve. 

“Oh, so you wouldn't have come to save me?” Lilith let out a sigh at her playful jibe.

“Of course I would. I just wouldn’t’ve needed convincing and would have left Mellie at home.”

They both laughed at that, and Lilith was glad to be making her happy again. 

  
  


“Truth or extreme truth?” 

The game had slowed down some since the gas station, and Esther had been slipping in and out of sleep, sometimes resting her head on the window, and a few times leaning over onto Liliths shoulder. Lilith liked that the best, even if it made driving a little harder. It was obvious that Eshter had gotten even less sleep than she had, probably worrying about her little sister.

“I don’t know, extreme truth I guess? I don’t know if there are any left.” Esther said, yawning. In truth, Lilith couldn’t think of any either. She’d pulled the last few out of her ass, but was in no rush to stop the game. She worried that if they ended it, they wouldn't continue speaking, and she wouldn't get to keep hearing her voice. Esther had not brought up her sister in a while, and Lilith was also hoping that the game had pushed any anxiety ridden thoughts about what might be happening to her out of Eshter’s head. 

“How do you know Viktoria?”

Esther sat up straight now, and looked at Lilith intesily. 

“What are you talking about?” There was no hint of amusement in her voice, and Lilith was a little worried she had done something wrong. 

“When you were talking about her, earlier, back at the house, you had said- I mean- it seemed like, you already knew who she was.” Lilith looked over at the younger woman at the end, and saw that she had pulled her knees up to her chest and had her arms wrapped around herself, seemingly trying to disappear into the seat. 

“I don't want to play this game anymore.” 

The car was quiet for a while after that. 

  
  



	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Homophobia (not a lot but enough that I figured it was better to say so.)  
> also I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter so far

Things were not good.

The events occurring were just about the farthest thing from Mr. Goldmann’s plan he could think of. After he got off the phone with Lilith, he sat in his office for a while, thinking. He had made a good decision, makinging her and Esther stay in Savannah, right? Lilith was a rule follower, his rules at least, and he knew she would protect his daughter as much as she could. 

This was not going the way he thought it would. I mean, he figured Viktoria would be upset, but this? Goldmann wondered if she and Lilith had seen eachother or spoken when Mellie and Phineas were taken. He hoped not, it could only complicate the delicate balance he thought he had with his now ex-lover. He still believed that sending Lilith away while he dealt with Viktoria was the best option, and she would only get in the way now. 

“Tiffany, can you come in here please?” 

Goldmann’s secretary shuffled in in their high stilettos. He gestured for them to take a seat, and Tiffany perched across from him at his desk, the polar opposite of the way Lilith looked not too long ago. 

  
“What can I help you with sir?” Tiffany said softly, taking out her notepad and holding her pen. 

“Can you call Viktoria’s people? See if she’ll see me, talk to me about this. I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding and we can go back to being business partners soon enough.” Goldman said, though it didn't sound like he fully believed it. Tiffany didn't look impressed. 

“Sir, I don’t know if that's a good idea. Not to speak out of turn, but from what you've said she doesn't sound too happy with you right now. Maybe wait for her to reach out again?”

Goldmann thought back to the email he had received that morning. It detailed the capture, and what exactly Viktoria planned on doing to the girls if he did not do what she asked. She hadn’t even written it- it had been signed by one of her cronies- and as much as he worried for their safety, he knew there were many factors at stake here. Not only the well being of a daughter and a friend, but his company, and his relationship with Viktoria. 

“Maybe if I tell her I’ll take her back, we could go back to how it was before.”

Tiffany fought to keep their eyes from rolling at the ridiculousness of that statement. Why would the hot young woman want anything other than his money, and now that she had the upper hand, there was no way she would go back. 

“I'll see what I can do boss.”

Tiffany got up, and a small smirk pulled at their lips as they left the office, already planning on what to tell Viktoria. 

  
  


“I think we’re lost.” 

“I know where we’re going. We’re not lost.” 

“Okay well where are we then?” 

Esther and Lilith had been having this argument for the last half hour. The sun was going down, and Esther was getting more and more riled up from being stuck in the car all day.

“It doesn't matter, we’ll get there when we get there and until then it's a bit of a mystery I guess.” 

Esther shuffled her body in her seat until she was facing the older woman. 

“We can’t drive all night, you’ll fall asleep at the wheel, and then we’ll die and all of this will be for nothing because if we take too long Viktoria will turn Mellie in Phineas into wood chips.” Esther was rambling, and Lilith figured she needed to put an end to it soon. 

“We can stop for tonight if you want, it might be best if we didn't get lost in the middle of the night anyway.” Esther let out a sigh at that, “And also, Viktoria doesn't actually put people through wood chippers, that's just something she says to freak people out. Don't worry, she knows she can't actually hurt them without consequence.”

“Oh what from my father? Yeah he really seems like he’d jump and avenge them.” Esther said, rolling her eyes. 

“If she lays a hand on them I’ll do it myself.” 

At that, Esther leaned over and took her hand, bringing it to her lips softly. 

“I know you would.”

  
  


Lilith and Esther ended up in a small town in northern Virginia. They were both exhausted from being stuck in a car all day, and Lilith was ready to get some rest after the long night of tossing and turning. She pulled the Jeep into the parking lot of a grimy biker bar, the only establishment open at this hour, and winced at the look of it. It was not the type of place she thought Esther would like, and god knows she didn’t want the pretty young woman having to be around the people in there, but she knew they were both hungry and tired, and if they could get in and out quickly, it might work. 

“So, is this where you take all the girls?” Esther asked, giggling. Lilith rolled her eyes and put her arm around her shoulders as they walked in. 

The music was loud, and the lights were dim, and it looked like every dingy bar Lilith had ever been in on the way to and from a mission. She gently led Esther to the bar without much notice, and signalled for the bartender. 

  
  


“Do you really think they will be okay?”

Esther had her head leaning on Lilith’s shoulder, and was gently rubbing her eyes. Neither of them had been drinking, but it had been a tough 48 hours for the both of them. Lilith leaned down to whisper against her ear,

“I’ll make sure of it. Nothing is going to happen to them.” 

Esther nodded, seemingly satisfied, and sat up a little. 

“I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back in just a minute.” Esther squeezed Lilith’s arm and jumped down from the barstool. Lilith wanted to follow her, but figured that was a little much. She was a grown woman, she didn’t need constant babysitting. So she stayed at the bar, ordered herself another coke, and tried to figure out what she was going to do once they got to New Jersey. 

What would she even say to Viktoria? She wasn't sure how she would keep up her promises to Esther, all she knew was she would do anything to do it. Would Viktoria actually hurt any of them? How much had she changed since Lilith saw her last? Had she finally gone full on psycho killer? 

None of Lilith's questions were answered, as a composition from the back of the bar caught her attention, as well as the attention of many of the less-drunk bar patrons. She prayed that it wasn't what she thought it was, but of course, her bad luck had followed her to Virginia. Standing near the restrooms was a very large man clutching his nose, looking more than a little upset, and Esther, poor, sweet Esther, with her fist still half-raised and her eyes wide. Lilith was there in an instant, stepping between them. 

“Is there a problem here?”

The man dropped his hands from his face, a bit of blood dribbling down. 

“Your’e pretty little friend here,” he pointed past Lilith to Esther, who was clutching the back of the taller women's leather jacket, “can't seem to take a compliment.” 

The man’s friends laughed around them. Lilith was the farthest thing from amused. 

“Stay away from her.”

Lilith reached behind to Esther rather roughly, and shoved the man out of the way so they could get back over to the bar. She threw some cash in the general direction of the bartender, and dragged Esther outside, muttering to herself. As much as the pink-haired woman didn't like to be pushed around, she did find all of this rather hot. Lilith stopped them in front of the car and turned to face her, putting her hands on the shorter woman’s shoulders. 

“Are you alright? What did he say to you? Are you hurt?”

Esther shook her head. 

  
“He called something gross out when I was walking to the bathroom, and when I passed him when I was leaving he smacked my ass. That's when I punched him. I didn’t even think about it, I just kind of did it I guess.” Esther was rambling, and Lilith stopped her by pulling her into a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders. 

“That's okay, that's what you should have done. God I should kill him, do you want me to go back in there and kill him?” 

  
Esther shook her head and giggled against the taller woman’s sternum. Lilith was joking, but she was pretty sure that if Esther had asked her too, she would march right back in there and put a bullet in his head. 

“Ohhhh, I see what's going on here.” 

Both women jumped away from one another as the man from the bar approached them, followed by a few of his friends. 

“I didn’t realize that there was something going on here, don't get a lot of dykes around here.” The man's friends laughed again. Neither of the women said anything, but Esther could see Lilith tensing up, finally being pushed over the edge. She pressed the car keys into the younger woman’s hand, and pushed her back towards the passenger side. Esther did what she was told, and clambered into the car, quickly locking the door and saying a prayer for Lilith to not get herself hurt. 

  
  


What felt like a lifetime later, there was a knocking on the drivers side window. Esther jumped about a foot out of her seat, and scrambled over the middle console to unlock the door for Lilith who only looked a little roughed up, other than the dark bruise forming around her eye. As soon as the door was closed, Esther wrapped her arms around Lilith’s neck and pulled her close. 

“Are you alright? I was so worried about you, please tell me you’re okay.” Esther mumbled into Lilith’s neck as she gently petted her blond locks. Lilith had never felt this cared for, and wrapped her arms tightly around the smaller girl’s waist, pulling her into her lap. She normally would never act this unprofessional, but all thoughts of her boss, and how inappropriate this probably was, had been pushed to the very back of her brain. She was already breaking all of his other rules, what was one more? 

“I’m alright, don’t worry about me. I took care of them, they won’t be messing with anyone for a while.” Lilith whispered against Esther’s shoulder. 

“Of course I worry! How am I supposed to not worry about you when you do things like that?” Lilith squeezed her tighter, gripping her t-shirt. 

“I couldn't just let them talk to you like that, I would do anything for you.”

Esther pulled away from Lilith, her hands on her shoulders, sitting with her legs across the taller woman’s lap. Their eyes met. 

“Anything?” 

Lilith nodded. 

“Anything”

“Please kiss me.”

Lilith stared at Esther for a moment longer, taking in her constellation of freckles, before bringing one hand up to the back of her neck and pulling her forward as their lips met. 

It was a soft kiss, Lilith didn't want to push her luck, but as she pulled away, Esther brought both hands up to cup her face and bring her back down to her. This time, there was a little more ferocity. Lilith wrapped one arm around Esther’s waist, gripping her thigh with her other hand. The younger woman was no less responsive, tugging a little on her hair, and gently licking across her lips. God Esther’s lips were soft and warm and wonderful. Lilith worried that her chapped, less than symmetrical lips wouldn't suffice, but needless to say Esther wasn't complaining. The assassin pressed her tongue into Esther's warm mouth, and felt her smirk. 

When they pulled away, Esther let out a sigh and gave Lilith a small smile. She returned it, and held the woman close, determined not to be far from her again. Esther placed her hand gently against Lilith’s cheek, leaning up to place a soft kiss to her bruised jaw. 

“I’m guessing that wasn’t in the job description.”

Lilith rolled her eyes, laughing, and grabbed Esther's jaw- and that pretty face- and pressed their lips together again. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think will happen next ;)  
> also please tell me if that sounded stupid I'm not used to writing kissing and I'm not sure if that was right.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for all my Mellie fans out there lol

All of Viktoria’s employees had been staying as far away from her as they could.

The woman was bitchy and manipulative at the best of times, and while her plan was working, it was not going as smoothly as she would have hoped. Tiffany, as usual, was the only person who had it in them to speak up in her presence. 

“Hey boss, I’ve got some news.” Tiffany said, unannounced, swaggering into Viktoria’s office. 

“It better be good news, after what’s happened.” 

Viktoria sat at her desk, leaning back in the leather chair. Tiffany knew it was bad if she wasn’t sitting up as stringent as possible, asserting her dominance over the room. They walked over to the seat across from her and plopped down with a smirk. 

“Goldmann asked me to get in touch with you?”

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“Because I think you'll think this is funny.”

Viktoria rolled her eyes at her assistant. She was not in the mood for funny, but if anyone could pull a laugh out of her right now it was Tiffany. 

“He says he’s ‘willing to take you back,’” Tiffany exaggerated with air quotes, “And that doing so could rekindle your relationship.” They ended their explanation with a dramatic lean back, complete with a hand to the forehead in full regency era faint. Viktoria didn't laugh, but Tiffany saw her try to fight a smile. 

“He's a fool. Why on earth would I give up  _ my _ upper hand to get back with  _ him _ ?” Viktoria said angrily. She looked up at Tiffany, finally making eye contact with them. 

  
“What do I do?” 

Tiffany sighed, and stood up, walking around the desk and sitting across Viktoria’s lap, not unlike the way their boss did with Mr. Goldman. They took her face in their hands and tilted her head up to look at them. 

“Would you like me to remove one of his daughter’s body parts? Because I would do that for you. You could send it to him, maybe make him speed things up? Would you like that darling?” Tiffany cooed. Viktoria smiled softly at them, and turned her head to place a soft kiss to their wrist. 

“You know how much I’d like that, but we can’t. Not yet. Melanie isn't even the kid he cares about anyway. Esther used to always complain about how unfairly he treated her.” 

Tiffany made a face at the mention of the pink-haired woman. She didn't come up a lot in conversation between the two of them. Viktoria laughed a little, and rested her head against Tiffany’s sternum. 

“Sorry. But it's true, it won't affect him as much.” 

Tiffany kissed the top of her head.

“Why don't you go talk to the kid? See if she knows anything? Maybe she has information on Esther or Lilith, or even Goldmann.”

  
Viktoria nodded, and patted Tiffany’s thigh. Tiffany knew this was their que to leave, and stood to walk back out of the office.

“Oh, and Tiffany?”

“Yeah boss?” 

“Don't walk out of here with that grin on your face, I need these people to know I’m still pissed at them for messing with my plan.”

Tiffany full on smiled at Viktoria now, before blowing her a kiss, pulling themselves together, and turning to leave again.

  
  


Mellie was  _ not _ good with small spaces, she was not good with keeping focused, and she was especially not good at helping people. Most of all, however, Mellie was not very good at keeping still and having nothing to do. And for the last day or so- she wasn't exactly sure on time and it always feels  _ so much longer _ when you're bored- she had been sitting on her ass in a small room with nothing in it. Sure, Phineas was there, but years of working in the business had taught him to focus his mind and not get antsy the way Mellie was pacing across the floor. It wasn't like they were being neglected. They were fed, and when Mellie asked to go to the bathroom someone led her down the hall. I mean, they stood outside the door with a gun, but it's better than nothing right? 

Mellie was fidgeting. It was a pretty common occurrence for her, but it was extra intense seeing as she had already bugged Phineas to the point of ignoring her, and she’d run through all of the made-up scenarios she kept in her head to fall asleep at night. She needed to get out of here, and soon. She figured her dad was slowly getting on it, like most things, but she secretly hoped that Esther or Lilith or  _ someone _ interesting would have a full Princess Bride rescue mission for her. She decided it was time to get something done. 

“Hey! Is anyone out there? I need to pee! And I don't want to piss all over your nice white carpet!” Mellie heard Phineas snort at that, over the sound of banging on the door. Phineas knew that for the time being, they were not going to be harmed, seeing as nothing had happened yet, and there was no real use to it anyway. He was getting a little irritated at the young girl’s yelling though. Thankfully, it was soon cut short as a large man with a large gun swung the door open. 

“Hurry up.” He said as he grabbed Mellie’s arm and dragged her down the hall. 

Left, left, right, past the intersection, end of the hall. They always took Mellie to the same bathroom, but she felt like it was probably important for her to keep an eye out for the directions, just in case she had to make a miraculous and marvelous escape. He shoved her into the small room, and slammed the door. She rolled her eyes at him, and took a look at herself in the mirror.  _ I don't look so bad, _ she thought,  _ could use a change of clothes but who’s counting right? _ She dicked around for another few minutes before opening the door back up. Truthfully, she just wanted a change in scenery, but anything for the drama. 

  
  


The door of Phineas and Mellie’s room was thrown open by the same tall, mean looking man from before. There were a few other people behind him, all looking just as mean, and they marched in without a word. The man walked over to Mellie and pulled her off the ground, throwing her over his shoulder and storming out. Phineas had jumped up when they entered, and was now being held back by the others who came in. 

“No! Dont touch her! Bring her back!” 

When they were in the room, Phineas knew it wasn't safe, but he could at least keep an eye on Mellie. He was a strong man, and a good fighter, but one against a group of strong fighters wasn't an even match, and he was forced back into submission, waiting for Mellie to be returned. 

  
  


“Hey, hands off buddy!” Mellie yelled, as she was thrown down into a chair in a fancy office. It reminded her of her father’s, in the worst way. The man who brought her there quickly stormed out, with a quick glance to the woman who was sitting across from the young girl,

“I’m sorry about him, he gets a little excited at the idea of hurting people.” 

Mellie whipped around to face Viktoria, and a sly grin spread on her face. Truthfully, the youngest Goldmann was out of her mind scared, but she was not going to let her drama summer camp go to waste and let this woman see that. 

“It's so nice to see you again, Miss Roman, it's been so long.” 

Vikoria didn't answer, instead standing up and walking to the side of the room to the bar, pulling out a bottle of a fancy brown liquid Mellie couldn't read the name of.

“Would you like a drink?”

“Im fourteen.”

Viktoria rolled her eyes, a staple of hers, and poured herself one. 

“Suit yourself.”

Once she had settled back across from Mellie, she knocked her drink back and leaned her elbows against the desk. 

“Have they been treating you alright, sweetie? They haven't been hurting you down there have they?” Viktoria took on a sickly sweet voice, and Mellie had to fight the urge not fake gag. 

“I havnt had to piss on the floor yet. Why do you want to talk to me?” 

Vikoria sat back, her smile gone. She hadn't seen the young girl in a while, but it was becoming clearer to her that it was not going to be as easy to talk to her as it was Esther. While the older sister had her fair share of sass, she was kind, and the criminal was figuring out very quickly that that was not the case for the young woman in front of her. 

“I want information, anything you've got”

“And what if I don't want to give it to you?”

“Then when I do get my hands on your pretty big sister, I'll make sure she knows you were the reason she's going to be in pain.” Mellie did not like the sound of her sister getting hurt. Not at all. She had no idea where Esther was right now, but she hoped she was with Lilith, and she hoped they weren't coming for her. 

“What do you want to know?” Mellie said quietly, hanging her head a little in defeat. 

Viktora smiled again in a way that was not at all reassuring, but more along the lines of a predator watching a bunny get stuck, no way out. 

‘Tell me about sweet Esther, what has she been up to?”

Mellie debated lying, making up some story about the older girl. She figured it didn't really matter at this point if she told the truth, and Viktoria could probably tell the difference anyway. 

“She wants to leave.”

Viktoria was not expecting that. She knew Esther didn't like the life she was pushed into, but she also knew she was a kiss-ass and a people pleaser, who had a hard time arguing with her father. There was no way she was getting out, but it was interesting to hear she had voiced her opinions. 

“Fascinating my dear, anything else?”

Mellie thought for a moment.

“She finished school. And she likes to tap dance sometimes, still.”

Viktoria saw that this wasn't going anywhere. There wasn't going to be anything juicier than Mellie’s first confession. She needed to change her angle. 

“What about Lilith? You know her quite well at this point, I imagine. What do you know about her?” 

“I don't know all that much about her other than she did something to be sent to live with us, and that she doesn't like my questions.” Mellie said, looking at Viktoria with an expression that said,  _ what do you think I know about a super-secret assassin, dipshit? _ Vikoria laughed at that.

“And I bet she likes your sister, huh? She seems like her type, am I right?” 

Mellie involuntarily made a face, before quickly pulling herself back together. Not fast enough, though, and Vikotria got the answer she wanted. Her face went stoney again, and she sat up straight in her chair, taller than Mellie. 

“That's all I need right now. Damian, come bring her back down.” 

  
  



	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you know me no you don't  
> TW: smut  
> crazy how this is the longest chapter yet

The drive to the motel was silent. 

It wasn't an awkward silence. It was very pleasant, like the end to a good movie where everyone sits and has a minute to themselves. Both Esther and Lilith sat, facing the windshield, with large grins on their faces, their hands clasped together between them. 

The radio was softly playing old country, and Lilith could see in her peripheral that Esther was bopping her head to it. Neither of them wanted to speak, lest they break the strange unspoken tension between them. There was not a lot said after their earlier kiss, other than Esther yawning, and the older woman insisting they find somewhere to sleep that night.

They made it to the first VACANCY sign in one piece. 

“I can go in and get a room if you want to-”

“Don't you dare leave me out here.” Esther interrupted, turning to Lilith with a smile and squeezing her hand. Lilith smiled back, and lifted the woman’s smaller hand to her lips before getting out of the car and running around to open the door for Esther. It made her laugh, and Lilith felt a squeeze in her chest at the sound. The taller woman wrapped her arm around Esther protectively, and they walked into the office. 

  
  


“You ever been to a place like this?” 

They had been given a room on the third floor, after the woman at the front desk _finally_ got off the phone to demand what they could possibly be doing there. It made Esther laugh, and she quickly covered her mouth when she felt Lilith squeeze her hip. Esther had to push down the ideas _that_ put in her head as the woman lazily handed them a key. 

“I can't say that I have.” Esther said, giggling and following Lilith into the small room. It was rather clean and plain, and the younger woman was more than a little relieved that it did not look like the ones she’d seen on television. Lilith walked over and started locking the door up and closing the blinds, and Esther fell back on to one of the beds in a huff. 

“Comfortable?” 

Esther turned her head to Lilith, who was walking over to lay down next to her. The pink-haired woman closed the few inches between them and kissed the assassin’s nose, before standing up. Lilith made a confused face and sat up. 

“I think I’m gonna take a shower.” Esther said, walking towards the bathroom. Lilith flopped back down on the bed and put her hands over her eyes, rubbing her face. She heard the water start to run. _Why did I think anything was going to happen? What is wrong with me?_

Lilith’s thoughts were interrupted by Esther clearing her throat above her. The older woman opened her eyes to see the Goldmann girl standing above her with her hand sticking out to help her up and an expression on her face that said, _and just what do you think you're doing_? Lilith’s face broke out in a large grin, as she jumped up and into Esther’s personal space, giving her a quick peck on the lips before bending down and throwing her over her shoulder. Esther let out a started little yelp before dissolving into a fit of laughter as the tall woman walked into the bathroom. 

Lilith wasn't sure she had ever taken her clothes off so quickly. Not even when she’d been covered in blood (usually not her own) had she wanted to be naked this badly. She didn't seem like the only one, as Esther pulled her t-shirt over her head and shimmied out of her shorts. Lilith was struggling to get her last sock off when she felt a gentle, tender hand on her cheek. She looked up and her brain short circuited for a second. Esther stood in front of her, close enough to touch, but far enough away that she could take in every inch of her. And boy did she. Lilith couldn't believe her luck. Her eyes went from her soft thighs, up her round hips, her large breasts, and the column of her neck, until she met Esther’s mismatched eyes and snapped back into the world. The shorter woman let out a soft, nervous laugh, and Lilith smiled at her, as she stepped closer to wrap her arms around her waist, and pull her close for a kiss. Esther pressed against her, gripping her face and lifting up on her toes to get better access to the taller woman’s lips. 

Lilith gently traced the seam of Esther’s lips with her tongue, tentative as to how far she could go, not wanting to push her. The Goldmann girl quickly opened up to her, and Lilith trailed a hand down from her waist to grip her ass. She moaned into Lilith’s mouth, and the older woman smiled against her lips, giving her butt a sharp smack. Esther separated to suck in a shaky breath, and slowly stepped back into the shower, shivering as the warm water hit her bare skin and pulling Lilith in behind her. The taller woman crowded her against the wall of the small shower. It was clearly not meant for two people, but neither of them were going to complain. 

“Do you- Are you sure? I can't go back after, Esther, please tell me now.” Lilith whispered against Esther’s neck, almost desperately. She was more than ready to touch the other woman, but she worried that she wouldn't be able to keep her feelings in check if they went through with this. 

But Esther was looking up at her with such tenderness in her eyes, and Lillith’s fears went away. The smaller woman nodded, and threaded her fingers through the blonde’s curls before pulling her back down. This time, the kiss was more desperate, both of them trying to get as close to the other as possible. Lilith ran her hands up and down Esther’s sides, feeling her soft, smooth curves, before reaching down and grabbing under her thighs, hoisting her up until they were closer to eye level. Esther let out a breathy gasp, leaned her head against the tile. Lilith could feel the wetness pooling between the pink-haired woman’s legs against her stomach, and smirked to herself, before attacking her jaw with her lips. Lilith trailed her kisses down Esther’s neck, sucking at the skin, just firm enough to leave a mark. The idea of leaving a bruises on her soft skin made Lilith clench her strong thighs together. 

“Please- Please Lilith, please touch me.” Esther let out softly, so soft that Lilith almost didn't hear it over the water. It made her smirk against Esther’s shoulder, and lifted her up more against the wall. Lilith opened her eyes and looked up at the woman in her arms, before trailing her kisses lower, ever so slowly. It was agonizing to Esther, who had her head pressed against the wall and her hands in Lilith’s hair. She squeezed her eyes shut just as Lilith placed a kiss in the valley between her breasts, and whined when the assassin abruptly pulled back. 

“I want you to keep your eyes open baby, can you do that for me?”

Esther nodded frantically, anything to get Lilith to keep touching her, and she sighed again when she saw the stronger woman bend her head back down to capture one of her nipples in her mouth. Lilith sucked on it, hard. Kitten licking over the peak before gently tugging on it with her teeth. Esther let out a strangled moan, trying to keep her voice down, and Lilith mentally fist bumped. She pulled back, much to Esther’s chagrin, to whisper, “No baby, I wanna hear you,” before leaning back down to give the other nipple the same treatment. Esther was much louder this time, squeezing the taller woman’s hips between her thighs, desperately trying to create some sort of friction. 

Lilith set Esther down, and the smaller woman’s legs wobbled a bit. Lilith smiled and pressed her against the wall, holding her up. She pressed one final kiss to her lips before getting down between her spread legs. Lilith felt like she was in church, on her knees like that. _That's okay,_ she thought, _Esther was meant to be worshiped._

The assassin looked up to see Esther holding her breath in wait, the want on her face. Lilith leaned forward and started placing soft kisses to Esther’s pelvis, a sharp contrast to the grip she had on her plush thighs, which would surely leave a mark in the morning. The older woman could smell her arousal, and smiled. She bet Esther tasted sweet. Finally, she lowered her head to Esther’s dripping cunt, bringing a hand up to run over her lips before leaning forward and placing her lips around her clit. Eshter let out a choked out moan, throwing her head back and shutting her eyes. Lilith stood up, and Esther looked like she was about to start crying, but Lilith gently took her chin in her hand and leaned close to her ear. 

“I thought I told you to keep your eyes open.” 

Esther nodded again, and with that, Lilith was back on the dirty tile with her mouth around Esther’s clit, gently running over it with her tongue, while her fingers teased the smaller woman’s entrance. 

“Please Lilith.” 

That was all the assassin needed to push two long fingers into her. She moaned above her, and Lilith sucked hard on her clit as she quickly pumped her fingers in and out of her. Esther had one hand in Lilith’s hair, the other tightly gripping her shoulder to help her stand. 

“I’m so close please, please don’t stop Lilith, please.”

As much as Lilith wanted to draw it out longer and make Esther beg, she’d be lying if she said she could deny her anything. 

“Come for me baby.”

Lilith felt Esther squeeze around her fingers, her hand tightening in her blonde locks as the woman above her moaned. She let her ride her hand and mouth through her orgasam, fully ready to help her along, until she felt a gentle tug on her hair. Lilith stood, and wrapped her arms around Esther’s quivering body. She ran a hand through the pink hair, as she whispered to her. 

“You did so good baby, so good. You're so beautiful, god, so, so, perfect.”

Esther looked up at her and smiled, gently rubbing her thumb over Lilith’s hip. 

“What do you want Lilith? Tell me. I want to make you feel good.” Esther whispered, her voice a little hoarse. 

“Please, god please touch me, anything, I just never want you to stop touching me.” Lilith babbled, and Esther smiled as she gently ran her fingers from the taller woman’s hip to her wet pussy. Now Lilith was the one making the loud noises, as she leaned against her forearm against the tile above Esther and pressed her nose into her wet hair. Esther moved her fingers slowly and deliberately over her clit. Lilith was not sure she would be able to last more than a few minutes, especially with Esther placing soft kisses against her collarbones. 

“Faster, please baby.” 

Esther rubbed Lilith’s clit and whispered nonsense to her as she came, moaning her Esther’s name into her hair and gripping the back of the smaller woman’s neck. After she recovered, she stood back up, still a little wobbly, and pulled Esther into her arms. They stood like that for a while, underneath the shower stream, until the water got cold, and Lilith helped Esther out, wrapping her in a dingy towel and pressing a kiss to her smiling lips. 

  
  


Lilith leaned against the railing across from their motel room door. She didn’t quite believe that all just happened, finding it much more realistic to believe that it was just an elaborate wet dream she came up with after a few to many shots. But here she was, hair still damp from the shower, thinking about Esther’s mouth and cunt and fingers and Esther Esther Esther. She brought her cigarette back up to her lips, and shivered. It was much colder up here than in Savannah, and even though Lilith was from the north, she had gotten used to the warm fall weather of the south. 

_Fuck, what am I doing?_ Lilith thought, _I’m so gonna be dead for this if anyone finds out._ Caring about people was a liability in her line of work, not exactly the ideal situation. By now she knew that she was ready to do anything for Esther, kill for her, die for her, any manner of other illegal activity. She had felt that way from the first time Esther creeped into her room to apologize for her sass, but she had realized in the months she’d known her that she cared deeply, so, so deeply, bottom of the ocean deeply, for the pink-haired woman. _And she likes me back_.

Lilith snuffed out her cigarette against the railing, and stepped back into the warmth of their room. Esther was curled up in one of the beds, fast asleep, her damp hair fanned out around her. It made Lilith smile, and walk over to press a kiss to her forehead, before stirpping down and sitting on the edge of the other bed. She had hoped Esther would still be awake when she came back inside, but I guess such an eventful day had really wiped her out. Lilith didn’t want to intrude into the space without asking, what if Esther didn’t like to be touched after sex? Maybe she didn’t want to be close to Lilith at all now? 

Lilith shook her head and sighed, peeling the blankets back on the other bed and laying on her back. She did not anticipate getting much sleep tonight.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry mom
> 
> p.s. I've never written smut before, but I have read a not insignificant amount of it so let me know if it was good lol


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, so sorry that it's been so long. I've had a lot of personal stuff going on the last few weeks that have been hard, but Im back!   
> TW: Violence, blood

Things were not good.

Lilith sat in Viktoria’s office, handcuffed to the rinky-dink chair sitting across from the other woman’s fancy one. She was alone, and bleeding- out of her nose for sure but probably also her mouth- and she couldn't remember how she got there. She figured they were apprehended, Victoria's goons had drugged her and Esther before taking them. 

Esther. 

Where was she? Lilith started frantically looking around for her in the empty room, shaking the chair and rattling the chains. 

“Calm down, my love, it's alright.”

Lilith whipped her head around to the voice behind her, Viktoria slowly walking into her office, her signature mean smirk across her red lips. She ran her hand through Lilith’s hair, ruffling out the short blonde curls before taking a seat across from her. 

“Where is she Viktoria?” Lilith spat, glaring at the other woman. Viktroia laughed, and it was not at all a pleasant sound. Not even like Mellie’s and certainly not like Esther’s. She shook her head slowly as she came down, and looked up at the assassin. 

“Don't you worry about sweet Esther, she’s in the very best hands now.” 

Have you ever talked to someone who knew something important that you didn't? You can tell they want to tell you so badly, but they keep it to themselves just so they can feel superior and make everyone else uncomfortable. That was the only way Lilith could describe the way Viktoria was acting, and she did not like it, not one little bit. She hung her head a little in defeat. What was she going to do?

“Please Viky, I want to see her.” Lilith’s voice was quiet, and Viktoria seemed pleased with the way she had broken the woman. She leaned forward, almost lazily, and pressed the button on her desk.

“Tiffany, would you be a dear and bring sweet little Esther in for me?” The dark haired woman leaned back in her seat, and placed her arms across the armrests.

  
“Anything for you my dear.” 

“If you've hurt her I swear-”

“You'll what? Look around you my darling, you have nowhere else to go. You're alone here, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The door behind Lilith opened again, and the light from the hall shone bright in the dim office. Lilith whipped around to see the pink-haired woman enter after Tiffany, two large, angry, dangerous-looking men following. The assassin let out a little sigh of relief when she saw Esther looked relatively unhurt, if not scared. She wasn't handcuffed, but the men behind her were a little closer than Lilith would have liked. 

“There you are darling!” Victoria looked like she was the only one having fun right now. Lilith was angry, Esther was scared, and Tiffany had the same bored, too-cool for this face they always did. The dark-haired woman gently ushered Esther forward, closer to her, as she stood up and rounded the table. Viktoria gently- far gentler than Lilith would have expected- placed her finger under Esther’s chin, tilting her head up to look her in the eye. 

The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Lilith caught herself holding her breath as she watched the standoff between the two women. Finally, Viktoria smiled again, and leaned forward to place a soft kiss to Esther’s forehead.

“Tiffany?”

“Yes?”

“Kill her.”

The two men who came in with them grabbed Eshter’s arms, as she struggled. Tiffany smiled, the most movement Lilith had ever seen their face make, and walked over to the bar on the side of the office to look at the rich woman’s collection of fancy weaponry. Viktoria slowly strutted back to her seat, and plopped back down like she had just asked Tiffany to get the mail, and not end a life.

Lilith was struggling in her chair, thumping around and trying to get out. She was shaking the room with her antics, but she was not pulling anyones focus. Viktoira was looking at Tiffany with such a tender fondness that didn't quite fit into the dark act, Tiffany was looking at Esther like they were going to eat her, and Eshter’s eyes were trained on the gun. She wasn't making any noise, I mean, what was she going to  _ do _ , but tears were running down her round cheeks. Lilith realized they matched her own, as she felt warm tears on her own face. 

“Please, Viktoria, please- I'll do anything- please- take me instead. Kill me instead, anyone but her- please-” Lilith choked her plea out, Viktoria rounded her desk and sat on the edge of it in front of the assassin. She smiled at her, her cruel, red smile, and looked back at the scene. Lilith did too. How could she not? Esther finally met her eyes.

“Lilith…”

“Esther, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I never should have let you come. I should have stopped you, I'm sorry, I’m sorry…”

“Lilith…”

Lilith kept sobbing and screaming and shaking as Tiffany raised the gun to the young woman’s head, all while Eshter kept saying her name, over and over, as if it was a spell that would save her. 

“Lilith… Lilith… Lilith…”

  
  


“Lilith, Lilith, hey it's okay. Wake up Lilith.”

Lilith slowly opened her eyes to the dim motel room. Blinking sleep from her eyes, she looked up at Esther, illuminated by the moonlight and street lamp shining through the shitty blinds. Eshter looked down at her, worry etched into her perfect features, and kept her hand tightly around the blonde woman’s arm. Lilith reached up to rub her hand across her face, and felt tell-tale wetness on her face. She sat up, her cheeks burning red, and gently pulled herself away from the concerned woman. 

“I’m alright. I’m sorry I woke you up, it's nothing. Go back to sleep.” Lilith tried to make it sound like she meant it, but it sounded like a lie to her own ears. Esther clearly wasn't buying it, as she leaned forward and placed both of her hands on the sides of her face. 

“Lilith you're crying, and you were thrashing around calling out, obviously something is wrong.” Esther said. She didn't mean for it to come off as snarky, but her voice was loud and commanding at the best of times and Lilith wouldn't meet her eyes. She worried she’d said something wrong. 

“Hey, it's okay. You don't have to pretend you're alright. You're safe, I promise.” Esther lowered her voice as much as she could, gently running her thumbs over Lilith’s sharp cheekbones, hoping she was doing something right. She let out a little surprised yelp when the taller woman hauled her forward into her arms, burying her head in Esther’s neck and mumbling out a response. Esther gently climbed up into her lap so they would both be more comfortable and pulled Lilith’s head away a little.

“What did you say?” Esther didn't want to startle or scare her, but this was not a state she often saw the assassin in and she wasn't too sure what to do. 

“It's not my safety I’m worried about.” 

Esther could see she probably wasn't going to get much more information out of her other than that. She slid off Lilith, onto the scratchy sheets next to her. The pink-haired woman wriggled around until she was laying down and held a hand out.

“Come here Lilith, you need to sleep.”

Lilith slowly took her hand, and let herself get pulled into Esther’s warm embrace. She tucked her head under the smaller woman’s chin, wrapping her arms around Esther’s waist and pulling her as close as possible, like she never wanted to let her go. Esther kissed the top of her head and ran a hand through her blonde hair. They laid like that for a while, until Esther was sure Lilith was asleep, when she heard a very small, soft voice from against her bare sternum. 

“It was about you, you know.”

Esther looked down at Lilith, who was staring up at her intensely. 

“I know honey, I know. You were saying my name and-” She cut herself off. Esther didn't want to bring back any of what poor Lilith had just lived. 

“What did you hear?” Lilith’s voice was scratchy from screaming and crying, and it cut into Esther’s heart a little to think that this strong woman had been hurt. She sighed, giving up trying to make her feel better.

“You kept saying, well you kept asking to be taken instead. To be um… You know…” Esther tapered off, not really knowing what to say. Lilith pulled her closer, impossibly closer, tightening one arm around the smaller woman and gripping her soft thigh to bring it over her hip, pressing their bodies together. It made Esther blush a little. 

They were quiet for a while, before Esther spoke up again. 

“Would you really do that? If Viktoria- Would you really ask her?”

Lilith pulled her head back to stare up at Esther’s nervous face.

“Are you kidding? I would do anything for you.”

Esther scoffed a little and smiled tenderly, running a hand through the blonde’s hair. 

“Do you really think I would let you?”

  
“Do you think you could stop me?”

At that, Esther smiled again, and took Lilith’s face in her hands, pulling it up to meet her own, pressing their lips together. Lilith responded with the same force, holding her against her strong body. When they pulled away, Esther was blushing and looking down at Lilith’s collarbone, delicately tracing the tattoos across it. 

“What is it?” Lilith asked, hoping she hadn't messed up. She figured not, but she never wanted to not be sure, not with Esther. She couldn't bare to upset her. 

“Why didn't you join me?”

Lilith raised an eyebrow, a little confused. “What do you mean?”

“When you came back from smoking, you laid down over here. Did you not want to sleep with me?”

Lilith didn't know what to say. Now she was the one blushing, and it was taking a not insignificant amount of energy not to press Esther down into the dingy mattress and show her how she felt.

“I- I didn't know you wanted me to.”

Esther looked back up at her now, with a small smile back on her lips.

“I always want you.” She whispered, leaning forward and kissing her nose, before pulling Lilith back against her, the assassin’s forehead against her sternum. Lilith pressed a kiss against her chest, before pulling her close again. She drifted off to sleep with Esther gently petting her hair and kissing her forehead. 

Lilith never slept so well in her life. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was reading some of this out loud and saying Lilith's name over and over like that is a mouthful


End file.
